PETER E. WEBER: What kind of governance reform does state need? - Opinions in The Bee - Fresnobee.com

PETER E. WEBER: What kind of governance reform does state need? - Opinions in The Bee - Fresnobee.com:

"California voters are understandably angry about the way our state is being governed. The respected non-partisan PEW Center for the states evaluates and ranks state government performance. Only two states rank lower than California, and California ranks dead last on fiscal performance. Voter dissatisfaction is leading to a plethora of reform initiatives that voters will have to wade through on next year's ballots.

Here are some questions voters should ask themselves about these reform initiatives:

Will they control the Legislature's propensity for runaway spending?

Will they cause budget priorities to reflect the views of voters rather than those of the special interests that currently control the budget?"

STEM education for girls grows beyond school boundaries - Mass High Tech Business News

STEM education for girls grows beyond school boundaries - Mass High Tech Business News:

"Seventy five percent of Nobel laureates in science first encountered the lure and power of discovery outside of school hours. But what about all the latent scientists and engineers who may not have ready access to the outdoors, to books, equipment and materials at home or at school, or who may not have parents or adults to provide encouragement and stoke their imagination about possible careers?

We applaud the creation of the Governor’s STEM Council to increase the interest and proficiency of Massachusetts’ students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. To ensure that the Commonwealth remains an engine of innovation and discovery, the council must adopt what the National Research Council calls an expansive view of “systematic educational reform.” This means recognizing the contributions and synergies of school and out-of-school experiences, including the family and community."

A facade of reform - JSOnline

A facade of reform - JSOnline:

"A shortage of committees is not what ails Milwaukee Public Schools. And forming a new one - even with Milwaukee's mayor as a partner - does not have a chance of launching the kind of change the district needs to better educate its children.

To counter another proposal that gives the mayor control of the district, other area legislators propose a plan in which the School Board essentially continues to run the district, giving the mayor only limited authority. This offers only the façade of reform.

Let's be clear: The School Board is part of the problem at MPS. The district's history of underachievement to the detriment of Milwaukee's children stands as ample testimony to the board's distinct lack of efficacy. Continuing this is not a viable option."

Memphis City Schools to sign pact for $90 million from Gates Foundation » The Commercial Appeal

Memphis City Schools to sign pact for $90 million from Gates Foundation » The Commercial Appeal:

"The city school board is expected to sign an agreement today with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that will funnel more than $90 million to Memphis for a plan to change how teachers are hired, placed, evaluated and retained.

The Gates Foundation will confirm the winners of its education grants in a teleconference Thursday morning.

The Memphis school district is one of the school systems in four cities expecting approval.

Boards of education in Hillsborough County, Fla. (Tampa); Pittsburgh; and a consortium of charter schools in Los Angeles signed agreements with the foundation this week. The Memphis Board of Education has scheduled a meeting for 4:30 p.m. today to vote on a contract."

Union blocks teacher bonuses - BostonHerald.com

Union blocks teacher bonuses - BostonHerald.com:

"Grinchlike union bosses are blocking at least 200 of Boston’s best teachers from pocketing bonuses for their classroom heroics in a puzzling move that gets a failing grade from education experts.

The Boston Teachers Union staunchly opposes a performance bonus plan for top teachers - launched at the John D. O’Bryant School in 2008 and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates and Exxon Mobil foundations - insisting the dough be divvied up among all of a school’s teachers, good and bad.

“It’s insanity,” said Jim Stergios, executive director of the nonpartisan Pioneer Institute. “They’re less concerned about promoting the interest of individual members than maintaining control over their members.”"

City Council questions limits on charter school growth | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/18/2009

City Council questions limits on charter school growth Philadelphia Inquirer 11/18/2009:

"At a time when the state legislature is mulling placing more restrictions on charter schools, City Council held an unusual hearing last night to question whether the Philadelphia School District has too much oversight over charters.

'Charter school operators tell me that they must meet standards that the public schools don't,' said Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, chairwoman of Council's Education Committee.
Other Council members expressed concerns that the district's efforts to limit charter growth were limiting educational options for Philadelphians.

The session focused on a proposed change in the way the district regulates when charters can increase their enrollment or change their grade configurations."

La Opinión - noticias locales, nacionales e internacionales desde Los Ángeles - impre.com - Intimidation of parents

La Opinión - noticias locales, nacionales e internacionales desde Los Ángeles - impre.com - Intimidation of parents:

"Intimidation of immigrants is a tactic used far too often, but that does not make it any less repugnant when it happens. All too frequently, conflicts end with threats of deportation as a way to force the undocumented to act against their own interests. It is outrageous that this is exactly what happened to Los Angeles parents concerned about their children’s education.

Last week, anonymous persons chose this strategy as a way to discourage undocumented parents of childen at Gratts Elementary School in the Pico-Union neighborhood from supporting charter schools. The missive warned them not to sign the petitions for charter schools because they could be deported."

It is appalling to find such threats occurring in the debate on educational reform taking place in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Poor academic performance has sparked a dramatic push for change, including exploring new alternatives for operating the schools. Charter schools are not a magical solution for education, but they are a valid option to consider among others. Yesterday was the deadline to submit bids to operate a group of public schools.

Those behind the threatening flyers oppose charter schools and are capable of stooping very low to prevent parents from having options for their children’s education. For these individuals, education has little to do with student learning and more with self-interest.

The threat of deportation is used to intimidate the undocumented and exploit their vulnerabilities. It is outrageous to use this tactic to pressure parents not to defend their children’s right to learn.

Indian students in US cross 100,000 mark - US - World - The Times of India

Indian students in US cross 100,000 mark - US - World - The Times of India:

"WASHINGTON: The number of students from India enrolled in US universities and colleges crossed 100,000 for the first time ever this year even as international enrollments in America registered the largest percentage increase since 1980, defying broad economic trends."

As the number of international students at colleges and universities in the US increased by 8% to an all-time high of 671,616 in the 2008/09 academic year, students from India made up 103,260 of the overall number, according to the Open Doors report, which is published annually by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with the US government.

The Indian numbers went up 9.2 per cent from 94,563 in 2007/2008 to cross 100,000 for the first time to retain its position as the top place of origin for international students in the United States. China remained in second place, although there was a sharp 21 per cent spike in students from China, going up from 81,127 last academic year to 98,235 this year. South Korea (69,000 to 75,000) remained in third place.

This is the eighth consecutive year that India has remained in the top spot. In course of a preview of the forthcoming visit to Washington of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next week,

Indian officials said on Monday that Indian student inflow contributed nearly $ 3 billion to the US economy last year. Overall, international students contribute $17.8 billion to the US economy, through their expenditures on tuition and living expenses, according to the US Department of Commerce.

Golden Gate [X]press : AB 540, dreaming for a higher education

Golden Gate [X]press : AB 540, dreaming for a higher education:

"The dream: Access to higher education for undocumented students.

The goal: to inform students that it's possible to achieve that dream.

That's what Improvement Dreams, Equity, Access and Success, a new student organization at SF State is all about.

Founded in fall 2008 and currently with over 20 members, the organization has been devoted to organizing events that provide information ranging from how to apply to a university to information on scholarships and other resources available on and off campus for undocumented AB 540 students.

AB 540 is a California law, passed in 2001, that allows students, including undocumented students to pay in-state tuition in public universities and community colleges if they have gone to high school for three years and have graduated. These students are excluded from applying to federal or state financial aid like FAFSA."

Stand in Solidarity with UPTE Workers, Students and Faculty at UC | www.socialism.com

Stand in Solidarity with UPTE Workers, Students and Faculty at UC www.socialism.com:

"Bravo to the University of California staff, faculty, students and community members who are picketing, rallying and demonstrating at UC Berkeley and UCLA to oppose the devastating cuts being levied by UC administrators. The University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE CWA 9119) strike, which is in solidarity with the UCLA protests against the UC Regents’ vote on the 32% fee hikes, shows the depths of the anger at UC President Yudof who is hell-bent on union busting and privatizing the premier public education institution in the country.

Public education is a right, not a privilege

With a recession brought on by the chaotic boom-bust cycles of capitalism, affordable and accessible public universities for all are needed more than ever. College is a lifeline for low-income, women, immigrant, people of color and those needing job skills. Yet never-ending tuition increases, partnered with escalating rent, medical and childcare expenses, equals increasing student debt and more families who can’t afford to send their children to college."

Why Are We Destroying Public Education? University of California Students and Staff Prepare for System-Wide Strike to Protest Cuts

Why Are We Destroying Public Education? University of California Students and Staff Prepare for System-Wide Strike to Protest Cuts:

"The governing body of the University of California system, the Board of Regents, is preparing to vote on a major tuition hike for both undergraduate and graduate students. Undergraduate tuition would rise an average 32 percent, while some graduate schools would begin charging thousands of dollars for programs that are currently tuition-free. The Regents are meeting Thursday at UCLA, where students from across the state are converging for what organizers have dubbed a “Crisis Fest,” including mass protests, civil disobedience and teach-ins."

Federal sick-leave bills aim to slow H1N1 spread | LoHud.com | The Journal News

Federal sick-leave bills aim to slow H1N1 spread LoHud.com The Journal News:

"A House of Representatives panel wrestled Tuesday with the pros and cons of requiring employers to provide paid sick leave to help slow the spread of swine flu."

An estimated 98,000 Americans have been hospitalized with the H1N1 virus, Assistant Surgeon General Anne Schuchat told the House Education and Labor Committee. The virus has spread to 46 states and sickened 22 million Americans.

The Emergency Influenza Containment Act, proposed by Reps. George Miller and Lynn Woolsey, both California Democrats, would require employers to provide at least five paid sick days to workers who are sent home from work ill or told to stay home.

A second bill, unveiled Tuesday by two Connecticut Democrats, Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, would require seven days paid sick leave and would include parents who stay home with sick children. Both bills would expire after two years.

Texans, Co-Ops and Socialists - The Daily Californian

Texans, Co-Ops and Socialists - The Daily Californian:

"Crushing entitlements, sweetheart deals for co-ops and unsolicited political advice: all on the menu at Chez Roman this Wednesday. Make sure to fill yourself up before you go on the big hunger strike this week to protest Mark Yudof eating puppies. Or something.

The Roots of Our Ills

We like to make fun of Texas here. The people there speak funny. And Dubya was from Texas. What is there to like?"

Well, a lot, it seems, at least judging by the fact that Texas is one of the states that people are moving to, in the aggregate, while they're moving out of California. The California dream is dying under the weight of its own short sightedness. Despite having similar demographics to the Golden State, and thus similar challenges, Texas's public services have improved tremendously in the last fifteen or twenty years. It would be wishful thinking to suggest the same about California.

Texas has an unemployment rate 4 percent below ours, showing its low-tax, low-regulation, limited-government aid agenda works. California's schools and roads are falling apart, and our state's credit rating has gone out the window. (All the whining aside, the UC system, with its autonomy and strong ability to attract private funding, does a lot better than many other public services which lack similar capacity.) In these rainiest of days, the Texas Senate unanimously passed a budget that actually sets aside money into a rainy-day fund. Let's not even mention what happens in Sacramento with the budget. The Economist has done a good job covering this dichotomy between these states.

As is to be expected, the Lone Star State's public services do lag behind California's in many areas. But it spends a significantly larger portion of its budget on items that serve society at large--transportation and education being prime examples--not special interests. What do they spend less on?

OC schools can't sustain more cuts, educators say | state, schools, budget - News - The Orange County Register

OC schools can't sustain more cuts, educators say state, schools, budget - News - The Orange County Register:

"COSTA MESA Orange County's k-12 schools, community colleges and universities can't sustain another round of massive state budget cuts and continue to deliver a quality education to students.

That was the message today during a news conference by a coalition of teachers, school board members, union representatives, and other educators from schools throughout the county who gathered to raise awareness of the potential impacts of further cuts to schools."

"The game being played with our schools is not fair," said Kimberly Claytor, president of the Newport Mesa Federation of Teachers. "In order to reverse this trend, we're going to need to fix the state budget through tax reform."

The group said state-level tax reforms could help avert billions in cuts to schools expected over the next year. Reforms include reinstating the full vehicle license fee, returning the top tax bracket to the 10 percent and 11 percent rate, reassessing commercial properties, enacting a severance tax on oil produced in the state, and repealing loopholes that favoring big businesses from last year's state budget deal.

The group also supported repealing the two-thirds majority requirement for passing a state budget by lawmakers. Public schools receive up to 80 percent of all revenue from the state budget. In the past two budget years, state spending for education has been slashed by a total of about $15 billion.

"The rules as they stand now don't favor schools," Claytor said.

Community Journalism at it's Best Sacramento Press Workshop

Community Journalism at its Best

Facebook workshop

As mentioned, we have a Facebook workshop scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Jeff Marmins, who is the creator of Social Media Path and a social networker extraordinaire.

He's given talks on Twitter and LinkedIn and is very active in all forms of social media.

We will serve food at 6:30 and get the workshop started around 6:45 p.m.

We plan on ending at 8 p.m. but if there are lots of questions, it may run longer.

Marmins will go over how to use Facebook and keep your work and personal lives separate while still enjoying the benefits of social networking.

Please bring your laptop if you have one; we have wi-fi so you can follow along on your computer.If you have specific questions that you want covered, you can send them along with your RSVP, so we can go over them for the group.We are limiting attendance to 30 people for space reasons.

RSVP by clicking on the RSVP below.

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.

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!

RSVP

Join us at:
Sacramento Press
431 I Street, Suite 107
Sacramento, CA

Google Map & Directions >

Sacramento Press Web Site

The Pulitzer Center — Relevant Learning, Authentic Engagement | Ecology of Education

The Pulitzer Center — Relevant Learning, Authentic Engagement Ecology of Education:

"Where do you point your students for news?

Fox? NBC? NPR? NY Times? CNN?


When you want something a bit different, something less corporate, where do you look?

Media Matters? The Daily Show? Indy Media? Rush? Huffington? Crooks and Liars?"

What if you want ground-breaking, objective, mixed media journalism with a global perspective, that creates connections and collaborations between professional journalists and students, and embodies the integrity of one of the most respected awards in writing? Uh . . . Um . . .

Enter, The Pulitzer Center and the student-friendly Pulitzer Gateway, stage right, providing students (of all ages) with access to stories out of the mainstream, but apposite to challenges both home and abroad.

This is no small feat. Consider that in today’s media there is often a compartmentalization between the subject, the writer, and the reader (at times even by design). Unfortunately, as a result, stories about Darfur, China, or polar bears, come across as distant, abstract, and personally irrelevant to students. Without personal connections to the material there is little for them to engage with, intellectually or emotionally.

Claude Levi-Strauss, the legendary French Anthropologist, studied primitive cultures around the world through the lens of structuralism, seeking to find universal patterns of thought. His overall contribution to the collective knowledge of the world is not just that he chronicled indigenous peoples, but that he made that knowledge relevant and connectible to the everyman by examining approaches to shared needs (even if his rendering of such knowledge was far too abstract for the casual reader). He’s remembered now as the father of modern anthropology because of how he looked at food gathering/preparations, rituals, and dwellings — basic needs we can all relate to.

The Associated Press: College students find support in campus 'posses'

The Associated Press: College students find support in campus 'posses':

"BRYN MAWR, Pa. — When Sharhea Wade arrived at Bryn Mawr College from a big-city high school, it seemed as if every other student on the quiet, leafy campus had graduated from an exclusive private school.

'I felt intimidated by them,' recalled Wade. 'Bryn Mawr is a different world.'

Yet whenever she felt like a fish out of water, Wade could turn to her 'posse' — nine other girls who, like her, had been recruited from struggling Boston-area school districts and sent on full merit scholarship to the elite women's college."

Wade's posse is one of dozens sent to top-tier universities each year by the New York-based Posse Foundation. The combination of monetary and social support is a model that experts say could help move the U.S. toward President Barack Obama's goal of having America lead the world in the percentage of college graduates by 2020. Next fall, the program hits the Ivy League when it debuts at Penn.

So far, Obama's focus has been on increasing access to higher education — especially for minority and low-income students — through expanded Pell grants and simplified financial aid applications.

But paying for college is only part of the battle. Keeping students in school by supporting their psychological and academic needs is equally important, said Laura Perna, an associate professor in the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.

Posse founder Deborah Bial started the organization in 1989 after a once-promising inner-city student told her, "I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me."
Since then, Posse has sent more than 2,600 students to its partner campuses, including Vanderbilt University, Colby College and the University of California at Berkeley.

WA Open Educational Resources: Webinar: Nov 18 @ 3:00pm (Pacific): Perspectives on Open Textbooks from Two WA Faculty Authors

http://blog.oer.sbctc.edu/2009/11/webinar-nov-18-300pm-pacific.html:

"Webinar: Perspectives on Open Textbooks from Two WA Faculty Authors

Date: 11-18-09 (Wednesday)

Time: 3:00pm

Location: Elluminate:
https://sas.elluminate.com/m.jnlp?sid=2008170&password=M.0DEEEB8B6C0EAFD7993367D2D9948A

Registration: None – just show up. Cost: $0"

Part 1: “Open Textbooks from an Author's Perspective” (30 min)

Abstract: What motivates someone to write an open textbook? How much of the editorial and production process is within reach of an individual? How is the experience different from writing a traditional textbook? What is different about teaching from an open textbook? I will answer these questions with examples from my experiences writing and publishing a mathematics textbook, "A First Course in Linear Algebra."

Bio: Robert Beezer is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. He joined the faculty there in 1984 after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. Besides advocating for open textbooks, he is also a developer for Sage, a comprehensive open-source program for mathematics.


Part 2: “Another Perspective on Authoring an Open Textbook” (30 min)

Abstract: I'll discuss my journey of writing an open textbook "Math in Society," including my motivation, how existing open textbooks guided my decisions, using my students as guinea pigs, and my experience with the bookstore. I'll share some general thoughts on openness and collaboration in textbooks that need consistency and accuracy, and some thoughts about license selection.

Bio: David Lippman is a professor of mathematics at Pierce College Ft Steilacoom, a community college in Lakewood, WA, where he has been teaching since 2000. He is best known in the Washington community college math circle as the guy who created WAMAP.org (aka IMathAS), a free, open-source online course management and math assessment system.

-----------------------------------------------------

Please join us and share this invitation with anyone who might be interested. All are welcome.
Cable

News 21 | The Charter Explosion

News 21 The Charter Explosion

Reporting Education -- Through the Charter Lens

Since early 2009, the Columbia News21 team took notebooks, cameras and curiosities to places such as New Orleans, the Twin Cities, Newark, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., to explore the new marketplace of hybrid, public-private schools.

The result is this web site -- a deeply reported, richly multimedia and interactive web site, produced by a dozen Columbia journalism fellows, their editors and a group of new media producers.

Travel History with Our Interactive Timelines
Learn how Catholic school education and American Indian school programs have developed since the country's founding, in our clickable multimedia timelines.

Reshaping Communities

Tapestry of Schools

Unchartered Territory

New Orleans In Depth

Ex-Gates director looks to open a charter school in New York | GothamSchools

Ex-Gates director looks to open a charter school in New York GothamSchools:

"Former Gates Foundation education director Tom Vander Ark is behind one charter school’s application to open in New York City next year.

For years, Vander Ark shaped the educational giving for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, overseeing grants the organization gave to cities that agreed to build small high schools. Now a partner at an education public affairs firm in California, Vander Ark has supported such causes as lifting New York State’s charter cap and bringing more and better technology into classrooms.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education confirmed that Vander Ark is behind the application for Bedford Preparatory Charter School, a small high school school that, if approved, would open in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn next school year."

Say "NO" to pesticide applications near Kern County's schools

Say "NO" to pesticide applications near Kern County's schools

"I know that pesticides are very dangerous for my son. Not only to his health, but they can also can affect my son’s capacity to learn. In Kern county we have a lot of schools near agricultural operations. That's why I'm asking for your support to get the proposed buffer zones approved. We need to ensure our children are in safe schools in which their health is protected and they are not affected by pesticides. That way my son and other children can have a clean environment in which they can learn and have a really healthy and successful future." --Hector Garcia, Parent

The Kern County Agricultural Commissioner is currently organizing hearings on pesticide buffer zones near schools. These proposed buffer zones are a vital first step in protecting children’s health. Please help.

Approximately 90% of pesticides used in California drift away from their intended targets. Instead they can easily reach nearby homes, schools and businesses. Long-term exposure to pesticides can also cause cancer, reproductive harm and respiratory or nervous system damage. In addition, pesticide exposure can cause immediate poisonings to people close by.

Children are more at risk of adverse health effects from pesticide exposure because their bodies and brains are still developing. Studies have linked pesticide exposure in children with learning disabilities, behavioral issues, lower IQs and other problems.

Current buffer zone rules in Kern County are not adequate. They are set at 1/4 mile for aerial applications of restricted use pesticides around residential areas, occupied labor camps, schools in session and other areas designated by the Agricultural Commissioner. Kern County ranks 2nd in pesticide use in CA. There are no current standard restrictions for ground applications of pesticides--yet they constitute the majority of pesticide applications.

The proposed regulations before the Kern County Agricultural Commissioner would include all agricultural pesticide applications (including ground applications) around schools in session and during school-sponsored activities when children are present.

This is an absolutely vital first step to protecting California's children from pesticide exposure. Schools must be a safe place for kids to play and learn.

This is a good start, but it is not enough. The UFW and a coalition of community groups firmly believe these buffer zones should be larger, and include residences, hospitals, nursing homes and other sensitive sites. However, these regulations are a key first step towards the safety of children in Kern County. They will also set an important precedent for other farm worker counties throughout CA.

Please send your e-mail to the Kern County Ag Commissioner, Ruben J. Arroyo today and tell him to move forward with these proposed regulations as soon as possible.

http://www.ufwaction.org/ct/j7zCz291cQL9/takeaction

Region's mayors brainstorm together today - Latest News - sacbee.com

Region's mayors brainstorm together today - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson convenes another gathering of local mayors with a brain-storming breakfast session today.

The second annual Regional Mayor's Breakfast brings mayors from five counties together at 8 a.m. at the Sterling Hotel. The city leaders will discuss their municipal triumphs this year and how they can come together to solve regional challenges."

Teacher broke law by posting top test scores | StarTribune.com

Teacher broke law by posting top test scores StarTribune.com:

"A Northfield teacher who posted the names and grades of students with the best test scores thought it was a good way to praise his high fliers and motivate the rest.Turns out it was against the law, according to state officials."

A Northfield High School teacher who posted the names and grades of students with the best test scores thought it was a good way to praise his high fliers and motivate the rest.

Turns out it was against the law, according to state officials.

In an advisory opinion, the Minnesota Department of Administration agreed with a parent who complained that posting her son's test results in class for all to see was a violation of state law protecting student data.

The Northfield case illustrates how fine the line can seem between celebrating the work of bright students and violating their privacy. According to experts in education law, it's generally OK for schools to announce who makes the honor roll or graduates with the highest class rank. But revealing a student's grade on a class test in math or history -- without written permission -- is a no-no.

The state's advice raised some eyebrows, including those of Charlie Kyte, executive director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. The advisory opinion seems like an extreme interpretation of law that "would change a lot of common practices," he said.

"To be able to show students ... the best work in a class seems to be a good thing from my perspective," Kyte said.

Family Educational Rights andPrivacy Act Regulations FERPA : http://www.docstoc.com/docs/16633007/Family-Educational-Rights-andPrivacy-Act-Regulations-FERPA

Sacramento Press / Community Journalism at its BEST!

Community Journalism at its BEST!

Sacramento Press / Community Journalism at its BEST! Front Page

Railyards lawsuits defeated

City Council informed of permit program in 2006

Auto parts deal

Global Entrepreneurship Week in Sacramento

Finding God on Facebook

Sacramento Press Journalism Open winners!

voiceofsandiego.org: This Just In...

voiceofsandiego.org: This Just In...:

Bright and Early

I'm lamenting the fact that every week isn't the anniversary of a treasured childhood show like Sesame Street. It really cuts down on my chances to incorporate YouTube into Bright and Early. Or does it?

Now for your newsblitz:
We blog that an internal team at San Diego Unified is recommending a slew of cuts, including closing departments for community relations, curriculum, gifted and talented education and race relations. They also want to end testing other than the tests required under No Child Left Behind. Parents of gifted students are already up in arms about the idea.

A teacher at the San Diego High School of International Studies won $25,000 from a foundation in what has been dubbed "the Oscars of Teaching." Here's the deets from the Union-Tribune and KPBS.

KPBS also reports that students at San Diego State staged their second rally in two weeks. They're protesting fees and cutbacks at the college.

Parents in Vista aren't happy about the idea of merging an elementary and a middle school to save money. One sign held by an Olive Elementary parent read "Olive = good; merge=bad."

Babs vs. Carly | California Progress Report

Babs vs. Carly California Progress Report:

"According to a recent LA Times poll, California's U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer is still nearly as popular as her counterpart, Dianne Feinstein.

Nevertheless, Boxer will face a tough battle to retain her senate seat next year against former Hewlett Packard executive Cara Carleton “Carly” Fiorina.

Political handicappers have underestimated Fiorina’s chances, due primarily to her choppy performance as an economic adviser to John McCain and her mixed record as HP’s CEO.

But there are reasons to believe that a Boxer/Fiorina matchup could be a blockbuster. Boxer, a three-term incumbent Democrat, may be vulnerable to the electorate’s sour mood and the traditional midterm election backlash against the incumbent president’s party. Undoubtedly, “Babs” (her nickname used by close friends) will face bruising attacks from Fiorina and her political brain Marty Wilson – a former adviser to Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger."

Rising Protest Against Dismantling of Higher Ed | California Progress Report

Rising Protest Against Dismantling of Higher Ed California Progress Report:

"Students, faculty and staff at California’s public universities are mounting a new wave of protests against tuition hikes and enrollment cuts this week.

As public opinion of the governor and the legislature’s handling of higher education reaches a record low, concern grows that California is systematically dismantling a system of public higher education that was once the model for the nation.

Student organizations at the University of California plan a three day strike to begin on November 18 to coincide with the meeting of the UC Board of Regents at UCLA. UC student organizations and staff unions are descending on the Regents meeting to protest proposed 32 per cent tuition increases. On November 18 and 19, thousands of UC workers represented by University Professional and Technical Employees, CWA local 9119, plan a two day walkout at several campuses to protest unfair labor practices."

The Silent Unraveling of the CSU | California Progress Report

The Silent Unraveling of the CSU California Progress Report:

"Throughout the state, thousands of students are rushing to get their admissions applications into the California State University’s (CSU) 23 campuses before the November 31 priority deadline. Within the first two weeks of the submission period, applications had already exceeded the number of spots available.

Given the CSU decision to decrease enrollment by 40,000 students, compared to its 2008-09 enrollment, and since record numbers of students are applying, there will be tens of thousands of disappointed qualified students."

While many hope that this is only a temporary setback for the CSU in this time of budget shortfalls, the CSU administration is quietly working to overhaul the system so that it will continue to exclude qualified students.

Those students lucky enough to get in may very well find a CSU that is a mere shadow of its former self without basic departments and programs essential to a university. As administrators restructure the university without public knowledge and public debate, they may be creating a second-class institution that does not meet the social, economic, and educational needs of Californians.

Courts caught in state's budget mess - Capitol and California - Fresnobee.com

Courts caught in state's budget mess - Capitol and California - Fresnobee.com:

"When the state assumed full financial responsibility for the court system a decade ago, it was billed as a way of relieving pressure on county finances.

However, much like the state's shouldering the financial burden for schools, judicial centralization has created unintended consequences. In both cases, hitherto independent systems have found that shifting financial responsibility to Sacramento puts them in competition with other sectors of the state budget for increasingly limited dollars."

idsnews.com | Indiana Daily Student |

idsnews.com Indiana Daily Student :

"Lastly, an education plan would need to be created that every state must adopt, allowing for a massive charter school reform and giving every parent the right to choose the best education for their child. Gingrich said he wanted to make education the “first civil right of the 21st Century.”

As America losses its edge in the world, education must be the starting point for regaining its lost position.

Will a second “Contract with America” work? Most likely it will depend on the status of the economy and Afghanistan at the time of the election next year."

Schools In The Dark About Tainted Lunches | wltx.com

Schools In The Dark About Tainted Lunches wltx.com:

"Days would pass before local health officials determined that the tortillas served at Starbuck and four other schools in Racine were to blame for 101 illnesses. An Internet search showed them the stunning particulars: The company that supplied the tortillas had a long history of making children sick.

Before the illnesses in Racine, flour tortillas from Chicago's Del Rey Tortilleria caused similar outbreaks at more than a dozen schools in two other states - in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2006, Del Rey recalled tens of thousands of tortillas after health officials linked them to illnesses at schools in Massachusetts and Illinois. And in a 2006 study of prior outbreaks, a panel of top scientists with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration even offered this warning: 'Flour tortillas manufactured by Del Rey hold the potential to cause illness.'"

Don't save bad schools--terminate them - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

Don't save bad schools--terminate them - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"This year's hot education topic is fixing what is broken. The first sentence of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's July 22 speech was: 'Today, I want to focus on the challenge of turning around our chronically low-achieving schools.' It is a noble quest I have long supported. But I have come to wonder if it might be a big waste of time and money. Most efforts to save such places have been failures.

Why not just close them down and start fresh? Why kill ourselves trying to root out the bad habits of failing schools?"

ACLU sues Cheatham County schools over religious activity | tennessean.com | The Tennessean

ACLU sues Cheatham County schools over religious activity tennessean.com The Tennessean:

"Cheatham County school officials have promoted their own religious beliefs and allowed and encouraged public prayers at school events, according to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU.

Civil rights attorney George Barrett and the Tennessee chapter of the ACLU filed the suit against the Cheatham County School Board in federal court Monday on behalf of four students, listed under aliases.The lawsuit alleges: a planned prayer took place at graduation last spring; the Gideons International were allowed to speak to classes and distribute Bibles; a cross hangs in a classroom; and a history teacher taught that the United States is a 'Christian nation' and decried the separation of church and state.The suit asks the court to stop the activities."

Fairfax schools debate language instruction and its costs - washingtonpost.com

Fairfax schools debate language instruction and its costs - washingtonpost.com:

"The Fairfax County School Board took a sharp detour from America's aversion to learning foreign languages when it adopted an ambitious goal in 2006 that language instruction should start early and graduates should be able to speak two languages.

In an increasingly interconnected world, school leaders reasoned, English is insufficient to succeed at international business or diplomacy. Fairfax County, a cosmopolitan suburb near a seat of world power, where 40 percent of students hear or speak another language at home, seemed a natural place to make foreign language instruction a top priority."

Judge tells Chicago to let students transfer - Yahoo! News

Judge tells Chicago to let students transfer - Yahoo! News:

"CHICAGO – A federal judge says Chicago Public Schools must arrange for the immediate transfer of students who want to leave a South Side high school after an honor student's brutal beating death.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman's ruling Monday came in a lawsuit filed last week against the district by 11 students who say they don't feel safe at Christian Fenger Academy High School. Along with the transfers, the students want a judge to order the district to make Fenger safer.

Derrion Albert, a 16-year-old Fenger honor student, was beaten to death in September during a sprawling fight that was caught by a cell phone video camera.
Messages left for a district spokeswoman and lawyer weren't immediately returned."

China fuels US foreign student boom - Yahoo! News

China fuels US foreign student boom - Yahoo! News:

"WASHINGTON (AFP) – Soaring interest by Chinese students has led to record foreign enrollment at US universities, offering a potential boon to the United States both economically and politically, a study said.

Indians remained the biggest group of foreign students in the United States in the last academic year but their numbers appeared to be leveling off, while strong growth came from China, Vietnam and several other emerging economies.

The United States hosts far more foreign students than any other country, owing to their universities' reputation, flexibility and concerted recruitment drives, said the Institute of International Education, an educators' group."

High Schools Struggle When Gender Bends the Dress Code - NYTimes.com

High Schools Struggle When Gender Bends the Dress Code - NYTimes.com:

"BY now, most high school dress codes have just about done away with the guesswork."

Girls: no midriff-baring blouses, stiletto heels, miniskirts.

Boys: no sagging pants, muscle shirts.

But do the math.

“Rules” + “teenager” = “challenges.”

If the skirt is an acceptable length, can a boy wear it?

Can a girl attend her prom in a tuxedo?

In recent years, a growing number of teenagers have been dressing to articulate — or confound — gender identity and sexual orientation. Certainly they have been confounding school officials, whose responses have ranged from indifference to applause to bans.

Last week, a cross-dressing Houston senior was sent home because his wig violated the school’s dress code rule that a boy’s hair may not be “longer than the bottom of a regular shirt collar.” In October, officials at a high school in Cobb County, Ga., sent home a boy who favored wigs, makeup and skinny jeans. In August, a Mississippi student’s senior portrait was barred from her yearbook because she had posed in a tuxedo.

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

Ford Gives Money to Teachers Unions - WSJ.com

Ford Gives Money to Teachers Unions - WSJ.com:

"We hate to say it, but don't be misled by headlines. The biggest headline in education circles last week was that the Ford Foundation is making a whopping $100 million grant 'to transform secondary education in the nation's most disadvantaged schools.'

Our eyes raced to see which piece of the vibrant school-reform movement Ford was going to support. Would it be America's 4,600 charters schools, many outperforming their traditional school peers and some even closing the race gap? Maybe it would be Teach for America, busting at the seams and turning down Ivy League applicants by the hundreds. Or, who knows, maybe Ford's really on the leading edge, and would want to support voucher programs in cities like Washington.

Would you believe the recipients of Ford's largesse are the teachers unions? Yup. The folks at Ford are giving new meaning to the word 'retro.'"

'Kids don't try' at Bx. bummer

'Kids don't try' at Bx. bummer:

"Last year, Peace and Diversity Academy in The Bronx had a respectable 68 percent graduation rate and a B on its first-ever report card.

Seemingly overnight, the school tumbled to an F grade and a preliminary 2009 graduation rate of 38 percent -- a whopping 30 percentage point drop.

'I'm not surprised,' said Shaneeka Bromfield, a 16-year-old junior, who blamed low expectations. 'We'll be in class and say something so simple or answer a simple question and the teacher will act so amazed, like they're surprised that we know something.'

Ariana Gooden, a 15-year-old sophomore who transferred to the school this year from a Catholic school, added, 'Kids don't try here.'

School officials said the academy has faced many obstacles, including massive student turnover, after two location changes since 2004."

About 75% of city high schools receive an A or B; only one receives an F

About 75% of city high schools receive an A or B; only one receives an F:

"Only one school got hit with the dreaded F this year on this year's high school report cards - and some students say the place is so bad they want out.

'I've been making complaints to my mom and my father,' said Shameeka Bromfield, a 10th-grader at Peace and Diversity Academy in the Bronx, which fell to the flunking grade from last year's B. 'I want to transfer.'

Shameeka, 16, said the work at the Morrisania school isn't rigorous enough. Other students complained about the lack of extracurricular programs and said the school has been moved several times, including to buildings where it wasn't wanted."

UC Davis News & Information :: UC Davis Dedicates Historic Native American Garden

UC Davis News & Information :: UC Davis Dedicates Historic Native American Garden:

"California Indian song, bustling tours and quiet, personal moments were all part of the dedication on Nov. 14 of a new outdoor reflective space honoring the Patwin who once lived on the land that would become the University of California, Davis.

The Native American Contemplative Garden is part of a larger UC Davis project -- believed to be the first at any public university in the nation -- to honor the land's original inhabitants and to educate the campus and its visitors about them.

Among those attending the ceremony were Patwin Elder Bill Wright; Charlie Wright, tribal chair of the Cortina Rancheria; Larry Myers, executive secretary of the California Native American Heritage Commission; Martha Macri, professor in the UC Davis Department of Native American Studies and holder of the Rumsey (Yocha Dehe) Endowed Chair in California Indian Studies; and UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi."

'A work of spirit'

Inés Hernández-Avila, a professor of Native American studies and person of Nez Perce and Chicana heritage who collaborated on the garden, calls it "a work of spirit." Under the guidance of Patwin Elder Wright, she said, work on the garden is fostering healing after campus construction projects disturbed native remains.

"The land that UC Davis sits on is ancestrally Patwin land," said Hernández-Avila. "This contemplative garden is a reminder that the connection still exists for the Patwin people who themselves are a living presence in California."

"This recognition is a gift to the campus, to the native community and to everyone," she added. "It's a gift that a lot of people had a part in."
Garden features

The garden sits on the bank of the historic Putah Creek channel and within the UC Davis Arboretum, a living museum with 100 acres of gardens and plant collections known internationally as scientific and horticultural resources.

The garden features naturally shaped basalt columns representing the Patwin people and their strength and resilience; trees and other plants used by the Patwin people; a curving path representing the flow of the creek and the flow of time; and a spiral seating area designed after the coiled start of a Patwin basket.

Going Green in Madrid: When Was the Last Time YOU Rollerbladed? >>

Going Green in Madrid: When Was the Last Time YOU Rollerbladed? :

"Irvine is in the heart of one of the most environmentally friendly areas in California. During the last few months of my stay in Madrid, Spain as a student on the Education Abroad Program, I have found more ways of implanting a sustainable lifestyle.

First and foremost, I am extremely lucky to have access to Madrid’s state-of-the-art Metro system. The metro is one of the things I love most about this city. It allows you to get anywhere around the center of the city within 10 minutes.

Besides public transport, Madrilenos love to use their own methods as well. On a random day in Madrid, I can find a number of people rollerblading or walking. The city is very pedestrian friendly and “paseos” — walks around the open courtyards and terraces — are a way of life."

FORUM: NCT ignored The Classical Academy's success

FORUM: NCT ignored The Classical Academy's success:

"I am perplexed. Where is the reporting when it comes to success being printed in the North County Times?

On Oct. 19, the California Department of Education issued a press release from State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell regarding three schools receiving the award for being 'exemplary.'

The Classical Academy in Escondido is the only charter school to receive this recognition this year, and only the second charter school in the state to hold this prestigious award. This information has been printed in other newspapers outside of San Diego County, but not here, where one of the award-winning schools is located.

In a time of increased scrutiny on test scores, student performance measures, and accountability on individual schools, having this accolade aligns with our success as a charter school. Having a high-quality school in our community that provides excellent options for students, dynamic programming that complements core academics, and high test scores where parents are the primary educators sounds like a story worth telling"

Villaraigosa, teacher groups vie for 4 schools -- latimes.com

Villaraigosa, teacher groups vie for 4 schools -- latimes.com:

"Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and groups of teachers backed by the Los Angeles teachers union will compete for control of four campuses, including Jefferson High School, as part of a groundbreaking reform initiative.

The impending face-off emerged Monday as groups inside and outside the Los Angeles Unified School District scrambled to meet a 5 p.m. deadline for applications to run 30 district schools. In separate news conferences, the union and the mayor lauded their own education records as they marked a milestone in the widely watched reform effort.

After filing 'letters of intent' for their targeted schools, the bidders, including charter school operators, now have until Jan. 11 to develop full-fledged proposals."

Educational Policy Expert Receives Urban School Improvement Research Grant : University of Rochester News

Educational Policy Expert Receives Urban School Improvement Research Grant : University of Rochester News:

"Educational policy expert Kara Finnigan, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education, has been awarded a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation with her colleague Alan Daly, an assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego, for a study of how low-performing schools use research evidence in an effort to improve outcomes for youth.

Finnigan and Daly will use the funding—$342,246—to research how urban systems and high schools in need of improvement diagnose problems; identify strategies; and define, acquire, use, and diffuse research evidence to improve under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This study will be the first attempt to provide an in-depth longitudinal examination of schools under sanctions in two regions of the U.S. representing two distinct types of urban districts. The study will employ mixed methodologies and will take place in secondary schools in San Diego, Calif. and Rochester, N.Y."

Schools to compete for state Distinguished School Awards - DailyBulletin.com

Schools to compete for state Distinguished School Awards - DailyBulletin.com:

"Sixteen Inland Valley elementary schools have been invited to apply for the California School Recognition Program 2010 Distinguished School Awards.

The program identifies and honors schools that have students who demonstrated educational excellence and have shown progress in narrowing the achievement gap.

The school had to meet several qualifications, which include being an elementary school, not having previously been a distinguished school or a state monitored school; and must have been open since 2007-08."

With Texas moving toward online material, is this the final chapter for textbooks? | Top Storie...

With Texas moving toward online material, is this the final chapter for textbooks? Top Storie...:

"Textbooks could be going the way of slide rules and Big Chief tablets within a few years in Texas classrooms.

State legislation passed in the spring could put up-to-the-minute instructional content at students’ fingertips — either online or in customized printed form — eliminating the mass-market hardback textbook.

The sea change could happen sooner rather than later, beginning as early as the 2010-11 school year.

'This is one of the few times we can do things cheaper, faster and better all at the same time,' said the measure’s author, state Rep. Scott Hochberg, D-Houston."