The Educated Guess » EnCorps recruiting 250 science, math teachers

The Educated Guess » EnCorps recruiting 250 science, math teachers:

"For those nearing retirement or otherwise ready to hang it up from high tech, here’s something to mull over during Turkey Day: If you’ve pondered teaching as a second career, EnCorps may have a place for you.

Buoyed by its first year track record, the San Francisco-based non-profit has set a goal of recruiting 250 science and math teachers for underserved high schools in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. It’s hoping for serious inquiries from nearly 2,000 candidates within the next two months and is counting on a viral ad campaign millionwaystoteach.org to help."

UC Berkeley to reconsider protest policies amid heavy criticism, claims of police brutality - ContraCostaTimes.com

UC Berkeley to reconsider protest policies amid heavy criticism, claims of police brutality - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"OAKLAND -- Amid complaints of police brutality and heavy criticism about the university's handling of a massive protest and takeover of a campus building Friday, the university announced it will ask for an independent investigation of police actions that could bring about changes to the way officers handle protest crowds.

The announcement came on a day when about 75 protesters, a few of them wearing casts and splints on their arms and fingers, gathered outside an Oakland courthouse to denounce what many say was abusive behavior by police at a UC Berkeley protest Friday."

LAUSD Superintendent orders hiring freeze and other cuts - LA Daily News

LAUSD Superintendent orders hiring freeze and other cuts - LA Daily News:

"In the face of a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines ordered an immediate hiring freeze Monday and cut other expenses, including travel, conferences and food at district meetings.

Cortines said the district is facing an estimated $50 million to $60 million deficit this year and a possible $480 million deficit for the 2010-11 school year."

"As a result of the financial challenges that we are facing, it is imperative that we ensure that every dollar we spend is essential to the operation of this district, and more importantly, supports our instructional mission," he said. "Therefore, effective immediately, I am placing a freeze on the hiring and filling of vacancies; travel, conference and convention attendance; procurement of contracted professional development services; the rental of non-district facilities and the purchase of catering or refreshments to be served at employee meetings."

The only exceptions to the hiring freeze will be for classroom teachers, principals, assistant principals, cafeteria managers, school police officers, bus drivers teachers' assistants, education aides, special education assistants and plant managers.

Educator groups upset as $500 supplement for retired teachers is blocked | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Educator groups upset as $500 supplement for retired teachers is blocked News for Dallas, Texas Dallas Morning News Latest News:

"AUSTIN – An estimated 250,000 retired educators in Texas won't be getting a supplemental $500 payment in December because the money was not properly appropriated, Attorney General Greg Abbott said in an opinion issued Monday."

While the attorney general said the Legislature can arrange for one-time payments to retired teachers and state employees, it did not follow the normal procedures for distributing the money earlier this year when it sent $155 million to the state comptroller rather than the state pension funds.

Of that total, about $120 million was supposed to go to retired educators and the other $35 million was slated for retired state employees.

Oregon teachers may get OK to wear religious clothing in class | Oregon Education - OregonLive.com

Oregon teachers may get OK to wear religious clothing in class Oregon Education - OregonLive.com:

"Teachers are likely to win the right to wear religious clothing such as turbans, yarmulkes, crosses and headscarves in public schools when the Oregon Legislature meets in February, elected officials say.

Oregon's prohibition on allowing teachers to exercise their faith by covering their heads or wearing other religious garb dates to a shameful anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant period in state history and is overdue to be changed, House Speaker Dave Hunt, D-Gladstone, said Monday.

Hunt plans to introduce a bill to repeal the 1923 law and said he is optimistic it will pass, given the broad spectrum of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs who support the change."

The Answer Sheet - New study: 'Alarming' TV watching by preschoolers in daycare

The Answer Sheet - New study: 'Alarming' TV watching by preschoolers in daycare:

"The first study in more than 20 years to examine screen time in childcare settings has found that many really young kids are watching twice as much television as was previously estimated.

And really young kids aren’t supposed to be watching ANY television, pediatricians say.

The study, “Preschool-Aged Children’s Television Viewing in Child Care Settings,” is in the December issue of Pediatrics, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/ the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics and available on line today."

Gaming Out The Bloomberg III Cabinet: Schools, Parks, FDNY and DEP

Gaming Out The Bloomberg III Cabinet: Schools, Parks, FDNY and DEP:

"Joel Klein

To say there are a lot of people who would love to see Schools Chancellor Joel Klein kicked to the curb would be a gross understatement. Critics of Klein’s data-driven approach to school governance have long bellowed for his removal, just as “Dump Klein” became a popular refrain for Comptroller Bill Thompson’s mayoral campaign. But true to form, Bloomberg has kept the controversial chancellor close, rebuffing his critics and declaring unqualified support whenever prompted.'

But after eight years at the helm of the Department of Education—longer than any other chancellor in recent history—many believe that Klein could be on his way out."

This Week In Education: People: Green Dot Founder Reported Leaving Changing Roles

This Week In Education: People: Green Dot Founder Reported Leaving Changing Roles:

"There was little indication last week when he was in DC and NYC that Steve Barr was going to be leaving Green Dot, the organization he founded. But California public radio station KPCC's Adolfo Guzman-Lopez is now reporting that Barr is stepping down [as chairman]. For months there has been fretting and clucking about the news that Barr was being forced to repay $50,000 in unreimbursable or undocumented expenses that he'd racked up wining and dining teachers and funders. He stepped down as CEO just over a year ago. But Barr seemed unperturbed about the situation during an interview last week. No one from Green Dot has so far responded to my emails seeking confirmation or further explanation."

Fate of three underperforming Queens schools will be decided in early 2010

Fate of three underperforming Queens schools will be decided in early 2010:

"Several Queens schools may be in hot water after failing to make the grade on the city's annual progress reports.

The city is considering closing Beach Channel High School in Rockaway Park; the Business, Computer Applications and Entrepreneurship High School in Cambria Heights and Jamaica High School, after they received D's on the reports released last week. Other schools may also be under consideration.

'We review all low-performing schools for closure,' said Education Department spokesman William Havemann. 'But the progress report is not the only factor to be considered.'"

Schools Can Again Be What They Once Were - WSJ.com

Schools Can Again Be What They Once Were - WSJ.com:

"Your Nov. 17 editorial 'The Edsel of Education Reform' on America's public schools is right to say that there has been a valuable generation of innovation in our schools. Charter schools and smart reforms by public schools have contributed to a new set of approaches for achieving great education for our children. We've learned that all our schools—public, charter and private—need four basics in order to succeed: outstanding teaching, sufficient and well-designed learning time, money to pay for for that time, and strong accountability to make sure both money and time are used well and that our children are getting ahead."

Coalition for Science After School Members Seek to Increase Quantity and Quality of After School Science Programs

Coalition for Science After School Members Seek to Increase Quantity and Quality of After School Science Programs:

"President Obama announced today the critical need for more and better science education for youth and that schools are incapable of being the only source for the distribution of knowledge. Funds, which will be distributed at the state level, will be given for innovative programs. What is California doing?

(PRWEB) November 23, 2009 -- As the White House announced the 'Education To Innovate' campaign to strengthen America’s economic competitiveness through leadership in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, members of the Coalition for Science Afterschool (CSAS) are providing resources and expertise to enable effective science and math learning in After school."

“You know the success we seek is not going to be attained by government alone,” Mr. Obama said kicking off the initiatives. “It dep on the dedication of students and parents, and the commitment of private citizens, organizations and companies. It dep on all of us.”

Coaltion Steering Committee Member and Director of the Lawrence Hall of Science Elizabeth Stage, who attended the event said “Enrollment has dramatically increased in after school programs, creating a great opportunity to increase the amount of quality science that kids do, yet only half of the afterschool programs we surveyed do science. The problem is not that they don’t want to, the problem is they need materials and training that will allow them to do so effectively.” The Coalition is headquarted at the Lawrence Hall of Science, and the Hall provides key research, resources, and expertise to the organization.

Time Warner Cable (TWC) has partnered with CSAS on their newest and largest philanthropic initiative, “Connect a Million Minds,” which will introduce youth and their parents to important opportunities to increase their excitement and involvment in after school learning opportunies in math and science.

Occupational Hazard - The Daily Californian

Occupational Hazard - The Daily Californian:

"Early Friday morning, 40 activists (mostly UC Berkeley students) barricaded themselves inside the second floor of Wheeler Hall in a dramatic act of protest over the unprecedented 32 percent fee hike passed by the UC Board of Regents the day before.

As onlookers and supporters gathered around Wheeler, the national media took notice. Though the means were questionable, we're glad the occupation successfully drew widespread attention to the serious financial struggle the university and its students are now facing."

UC Berkeley investigates alleged police brutality during fee hike protests - 11/23/09 - San Francisco News - abc7news.com

UC Berkeley investigates alleged police brutality during fee hike protests - 11/23/09 - San Francisco News - abc7news.com:

"BERKELEY, CA (KGO) -- The University of California, Berkeley is investigating allegations of police brutality against students and employees who protested fee hikes and budget cuts last week.

Police action on Friday night prompted Berkeley's chancellor to call for an independent investigation by the Campus Police Review Board.
Natalia Garcia Pasmanick is a student who on Friday was protesting a tuition hike by the Regents outside Wheeler Hall."

LA school district chief warns of big deficit

LA school district chief warns of big deficit: "In the face of multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls, the superintendent of the giant Los Angeles Unified School District ordered spending cuts and froze hiring for some positions on Monday."

Superintendent Ramon Cortines said the nation's second-largest school district faces a deficit of $50 million to $60 million this school year and an estimated $480 million deficit next school year.

Exceptions will be made for classroom teachers, principals, assistant principals and other essential school-based positions, he said.

The cuts are necessary because of California's $20.7 billion budget shortfall next year, which might mean further cuts to the district's budget, Cortines said.

"It is imperative that we ensure that every dollar we spend is essential to the operation of this District, and more importantly, supports our instructional mission," he said.

Cortines also cut spending on travel, conferences, professional development contracts and food at district meetings.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/11/23/state/n172143S78.DTL&type=business#ixzz0XmXsbzTX

My View: California not honoring UC commitment - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

My View: California not honoring UC commitment - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee

Mark Yudof has been roundly criticized for likening his role as the president of the University of California to being the caretaker of a cemetery. On Nov. 18, faculty and staff learned that it is the policymakers and leaders of state government who are the caretakers for the cemetery that holds the tens of thousands of dreams of K-12 students and the countless visions of innovators.

The beginning of the last chapter of the greatest public university in the world can be found among the pages of the report of the Legislative Analyst Office at www.lao.ca.gov. Its authors make it clear that in the current political climate the state of California will not honor its commitments to faculty, staff and future generations of students.

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - UC hike may flood COC

The Signal - Santa Clarita Valley News - UC hike may flood COC:

"As University of California tuition rises, the overflow of students who can't afford the higher price tag might flood community colleges like College of the Canyons, officials said Monday.

UC officials last week raised tuition 32 percent to more than $10,000 a year for undergraduate fees - about triple the cost of a decade ago. This latest blow to California's higher-education system threatens to heap more of a burden on inexpensive community colleges."

Bridgepoint Education to Present at Wedbush Securities 10th Annual California Dreamin' Management Access Conference

Bridgepoint Education to Present at Wedbush Securities 10th Annual California Dreamin' Management Access Conference:

"SAN DIEGO, Nov. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bridgepoint Education, Inc. (NYSE: BPI), a provider of postsecondary education services, announced today that Andrew Clark, Chief Executive Officer, and Dan Devine, Chief Financial Officer, will make a presentation at the Wedbush Securities 10th Annual California Dreamin’ Management Access Conference on Wednesday, December 9, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time (10:30 a.m. Pacific Time) at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, CA.

The presentation will be audio webcast live at http://www.wsw.com/webcast/wedbush10/bpi/. The webcast will also be available on the 'Events & Presentations' section of the Bridgepoint Education website at http://ir.bridgepointeducation.com/events.cfm for 30 days."

Local School Likes New Education Initiative | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News

Local School Likes New Education Initiative News10.net Sacramento, California News:

"SACRAMENTO, CA - The White House has launched a campaign to improve math and science education in the United States and that is good news for a Sacramento school.

The School of Engineering and Sciences is part of the Sacramento City Unified School District's new approach to education. It is a small, theme-oriented working to prepare students in grades 7 through 12 for degrees in engineering and science.

Principal Belinda Kirk told News10, 'Science and engineering has to come alive in all content areas, such as English, math and science. How do you ingrain math and science in those particular courses?'"

Preventing the Spread of H1N1/Swine Flu in Your School

Preventing the Spread of H1N1/Swine Flu in Your School

"This free webinar, designed for families, educators and administrators, will offer tips, suggestions and information on how to prevent the spread of H1N1/swine flu in schools. Drs. Meg Fisher and Peter Wenger will provide expert advice. Dr. Fisher is a world renowned pediatric infectious disease consultant, and Dr. Wenger specializes in pediatric infectious diseases, immunizations and infection control. This is an opportunity that you do not want to miss!"

Ex-Intel CEO Barrett, Xerox CEO Burns Part of National Science Education Push

Ex-Intel CEO Barrett, Xerox CEO Burns Part of National Science Education Push:

"Former Intel CEO Craig Barrett and current Xerox CEO Ursula Burns are part of a group that will push forward the Obama administration’s effort to improve science and math education in the United States. In addition, the public-private partnership will look to grow an interest in the subjects among U.S. students. Group members said the effort is important to help keep the United States competitive in the global economy.


Craig Barrett, former chairman and CEO of Intel, has been vocal over the past few years about the need to improve the math and science education in the United States to ensure that the country continues to be competitive in the global economy."

5 Tips from the Nation's Top School Principals

5 Tips from the Nation's Top School Principals:

"The nation's top principals gathered in Washington, D.C. last month, winners of the National Distinguished Principals award. The honor—which went out to 63 principals of public and private elementary schools—is sponsored by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, together with the U.S. Department of Education.

They came from all over country, leaders of elementary schools of all sizes in large cities as well as rural areas, each principal confronted with the issues particular to their region and school. All were nominated for the prestigious award by their peers, bosses or community members and determined by the NAESP to be the best of the best."

Obama Urges Efforts to Enhance Math, Science Education | USA | English

Obama Urges Efforts to Enhance Math, Science Education USA English:

The White House has launched a campaign to improve math and science education in the United States. President Barack Obama says the private sector is coming through with talent and money to support the cause.

"The White House has launched a campaign to improve math and science education in the United States. President Barack Obama says the private sector is coming through with talent and money to support the cause.

A student experiment in robotics was front and center at the White House.

The metal contraption built by two teenagers caught and threw a ball. President Obama said the demonstration was held to underscore the importance of science and math education."

Hindu monk welcomed at University of Nevada-Reno

Hindu monk welcomed at University of Nevada-Reno

People belonging to different religions and denominations came to listen to well-known Hindu monk Swami Vedananda at University of Nevada-Reno (USA) on November 20, which was organized by Universal Society of Hinduism (USH).
Welcoming Swami, Bruce Brinkerhoff, Director of Public Relations for Northern & Western Nevada for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), thanked Swami for coming to Nevada to spread the message of love, human improvement, and peace.

In his keynote address, Swami Vedananda said that self of the person (called Atman) is at the base of everything and the first cause of everything. He talked about real nature of reality, final emancipation from the cycle of birth and death, nature of Brahman (the supreme being) and its relation to the world and individual soul, etc.

Rajan Zed, USH president, who organized this event, pointed out that peace began with us and we should lift our eyes from our own selfish concerns to some greater ideal. We should seek unity that celebrated diversity, he added.

Others who participated included Michael Slater and Barbara Slater, chairpersons of National Association of Interchurch and Interfaith Families; Sierra Foundation; Sharon Limroth and her group from local Rosicrucian Order; Ron Arnold, Lutheran Pastor; Tell Gifford, Dean DeGidio, Trish Sebastian, and Zona Allgire-Avila of Vedanta Nevada; Susannah Lee of Sustainable Energy Forum; etc.

Details of the picture attached: From left to right—Lutheran Pastor Ron Arnold, Professor Tell Gifford, Bruce Brinkerhoff of LDS, monk Swami Vedananda, Hindu leader Rajan Zed.

Social Media Revolution

Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad?

Or is it the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution? This video details out social media facts and figures that are hard to ignore. This video is produced by the author of Socialnomics.

In Manhattan, Preparing for Kindergarten Admission Test - NYTimes.com

In Manhattan, Preparing for Kindergarten Admission Test - NYTimes.com:

"Kayla Rosenblum sat upright and poised as she breezed through the shapes and numbers, a leopard-patterned finger puppet resting next to her for moral support."

But then came something she had never seen before: a visual analogy showing a picture of a whole cake next to a slice of cake. What picture went with a loaf of bread in the same way?

Kayla, who will be 4 in December, held her tiny pointer finger still as she inspected the four choices. “Too hard,” she peeped.

Test preparation has long been a big business catering to students taking SATs and admissions exams for law, medical and other graduate schools. But the new clientele is quite a bit younger: 3- and 4-year-olds whose parents hope that a little assistance — costing upward of $1,000 for several sessions — will help them win coveted spots in the city’s gifted and talented public kindergarten classes.

Green Dot Public Schools Chairman Steve Barr steps down | 89.3 KPCC

Green Dot Public Schools Chairman Steve Barr steps down 89.3 KPCC:

"Steve Barr, the founder and chairman of the influential charter school company Green Dot Public Schools, is stepping down from day to day activities and his position as chair. A spokeswoman said today Barr is leaving Green Dot to work on “national education issues.” She gave no other details about his departure."

Steve Barr wanted smaller schools with young, motivated teachers willing to experiment with lesson plans. He opened his first Green Dot campus nine years ago with only 140 high school students.

Barr’s view was that his charter schools – independent from school district control - could outperform traditional schools, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

Education researchers point out that charter schools like Green Dot attract motivated students with parents active in their children’s education. Green Dot says 80 percent of its ninth graders graduate – and the vast majority of those graduates get into four year colleges.

Parent involvement is up in area schools, UCLA education researcher John Rogers said, while L.A. Unified and other school districts now talk about a school's guiding principles not whether it should be run by the district or as a charter.

“All these changes, to some extent, were initiated because Steve Barr really pushed on the system and sought to open it up by establishing his group of charter schools,” Rogers said.

Rogers remembers Barr talking to him about opening a school in the mid 1990s. At the time Barr had a slew of Democratic party experience under his belt. In 1990 he co-founded the non-partisan "Rock The Vote" outreach campaign and hosted an inaugural ball for President Bill Clinton.

The latest updates from Barack Obama's Facebook news feed. - By Christopher Beam and Chris Wilson - Slate Magazine

The latest updates from Barack Obama's Facebook news feed. - By Christopher Beam and Chris Wilson - Slate Magazine

Our colleagues at Slate have released the latest version of their hit satirical feature, "Barack Obama's Facebook Feed." This edition has updates on health care and Sarah Palin -- as well as Khalid Sheikh Muhammad's iTunes playlist.

Barack Obama's Facebook Feed

Health care, Sarah Palin, and Khalid Sheikh Muhammad's iTunes playlist.

By Christopher Beam and Chris Wilson

Posted Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, at 11:33 AM ET

The Yearbook Chronicles | Show Cast, Episode Guides, Trailers, Aftershow & Previews | MTV Tr3s

The Yearbook Chronicles Show Cast, Episode Guides, Trailers, Aftershow & Previews MTV Tr3s

MTV Tr3s Shows

Show Summary

In the United States, a student drops out of high school every 29 seconds. The chances of the student being Latino...very likely, considering that Latinos have the highest high school dropout rate among all racial or ethnic groups in the nation. In response to this disturbing reality, MTV Tr3s brings you Yearbook Chronicles, which tells the story of both, the Latino youth who have made it, and those who, caught in a web of personal life struggles and peer pressures, were forced to cut their high school journey short. In this special documentary, MTV Tr3s gives you an inside look into the lives of four Latino students who are members of their senior yearbook club at Bell High School, located in southeast LA. As they complete their senior year, the yearbook members reflect on their past struggles, share their hopes and dreams for the future and remember the friends who have dropped out of school along the way. Understanding the importance of an education, these students embark on a quest to find their former classmates to find out why they dropped out and encourage them to return to school. In this special documentary, MTV Tr3s gives you an inside look into the lives of four La This is a must-see para toda la familia, so be sure to get everyone together and tune in to Yearbook Chronicles, Saturday, September 26 at 2pm.

Amid fee hikes, UC publicizes tax breaks - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Amid fee hikes, UC publicizes tax breaks - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Lost amid the hubbub of campus protests last week was a message University of California leaders desperately want middle-class families to hear: Yes, the new fee hikes mean you'll have to come up with more money to pay for your child's education – but you'll get a lot of it back when you do your taxes.

The federal stimulus package included many changes to the tax credits that parents can claim for children in college. It upped the maximum credit from $1,800 to $2,500 per student, raised the household income ceiling for eligibility from $116,000 to $180,000 and increased the length of time parents can claim the credit from two years to four."

No Free Lunch | California Progress Report

No Free Lunch California Progress Report:

"Bond measures often succeed at the polls, and it’s easy to see why. They require only a simple majority vote; generally – but not always – pay for infrastructure, such as schools and highways; and appear to be “free money” since voters aren’t asked to raise taxes in order to repay the bondholders.

In reality, there’s no free lunch. Debt service (principal plus interest on bonds) becomes a new General Fund obligation paid out of the same limited revenues that also fund services that enhance the quality of life for all Californians – everything from K-12 and higher education to in-home care for low-income seniors and people with disabilities."

Susan Ohanian's Testing Outrages (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out)

Susan Ohanian's Testing Outrages (Susan Ohanian Speaks Out):

"The NCTE gives The Doublespeak Award annually to those 'who have perpetuated language that is grossly deceptive, evasive, euphemistic, confusing, or self-centered.' Previous winners include George W. Bush, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Exxon, the National Rifle Association, and the Tobacco Industry.

NCTE deserves the award for its document, 'The LEARN Act and NCTE,' signed by NCTE's Executive Director and the Director of the NCTE Office in Washington. The LEARN Act would spent 2.35 billion on literacy programs that spanning birth to grade 12. NCTE voiced its strong support of LEARN and urged NCTE members to support it as well. The article responded to criticism of NCTE's position and easily meets each of the requirements of Doublespeak:"

It is grossly deceptive: In response to the claim that the LEARN Act involves too much testing, the NCTE article points out that LEARN includes formative testing, but only mentions in passing that LEARN will also include all the other dreaded and unnecessary uses of testing. In other words, they argue that because one kind of testing is ok, all the others can be included as well. Nor is it clear that formative testing done by outsiders is a good idea; see comments by J. Lucido, following the prize-winning NCTE paper (sources below).

It is evasive: Critics have pointed out that LEARN assumes that direct instruction is the only path to literacy development. The NCTE paper asks us not to worry, there will be no phonics in high school, evading the question of whether intensive phonics should be included anywhere, whether direct instruction is the only path, and ignoring the evidence that shows that literacy competence is largely acquired through reading, not through direct instruction. It is also evades all research showing the powerful effect of libraries on children's reading ability and literacy development in general, noting only that the word "library" does in fact occur in the LEARN act.

California budget's going to be dreadful -- latimes.com

California budget's going to be dreadful -- latimes.com:

"The Capitol's budget oracle projects $20.7 billion in new red ink for the next 19 months. Here's my projection: More punting, 'kicking the can down the alley' and numbers-rigging.

Hope we're both wrong. Hope there's an economic miracle or political heroism, which would require sacrifice to the demagogues. But, based on history and facts, that's too much to hope for.

Here's how nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor gently put it last week in calculating the latest general fund deficit: 'Addressing this large shortfall will require painful choices, on top of the difficult choices the Legislature made earlier this year.'"

The Educated Guess » How LA charters will spend Gates’ $60 million

The Educated Guess » How LA charters will spend Gates’ $60 million:

"A one-year residency program for aspiring teachers;

A data warehouse of assessments to measure individual students’ growth;

A performance-based pay system that teacher help design.

A consortium of five charter school organizations operating in Los Angeles will make these innovations with a seven-year, $60 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,plus $16 million in matching money that they must raise.

They are also precisely the sorts of things that the state should be considering in its application for the Race to the Top competition. Improving teacher performance, including using data as a factor to set teachers’ pay, is a primary focus of the $4.35 billion federal program."

Data Quality Campaign | Home

Data Quality Campaign Home

2009 Survey Results by State

States have made remarkable progress in developing longitudinal data systems that can track student progress over time, from prekindergarten through 12th grade and into postsecondary education. This map shows how many of the 10 essential elements each state reports based on responses to the 2009 DQC survey of states about their current data collection systems. More About the 10 Essential Elements for States

The Education Optimists: Study Demonstrates Link Between Hunger and Children’s Ability to Learn

The Education Optimists: Study Demonstrates Link Between Hunger and Children’s Ability to Learn:

"On this Thanksgiving week, it is appropriate that we acknowledge the large numbers of America’s children who are too hungry to learn as indicated in a new public opinion survey commissioned by Share Our Strength. Teachers – as first responders – witness the toll hunger takes on students in their classrooms every day.

To be released later today, Hunger in America’s Classrooms: Share Our Strength’s Teacher Report, will share teachers’ firsthand accounts of hunger as well as a formal national survey of teachers. Share Our Strength commissioned Lake Research Partners to poll 747 elementary and middle school teachers from urban, suburban and rural communities across America, for the study, funded by C&S Wholesale Grocers. The most recent figures released by the USDA paint a dramatic picture of hunger in America: nearly 17 million U.S. children – nearly one in four kids – face hunger today."

Eduflack: Beginning of End for ESEA Reauth?

Eduflack: Beginning of End for ESEA Reauth?:

"If one talks to those on Maryland Avenue, there has been a relatively steadfast belief that the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) would be coming in the first half of 2010. Staff have been busy at work on the planning pieces. Most have been assuming that the framework developed for Race to the Top, particularly the four key pillars, would stand as the foundations of ESEA. And they've even been talking about dropping legislation after the start of the new year, with a goal of completing reauthorization before the summer recess.

But then we ran into major public comment with RttT, delaying the release of the final RFP by a month or two. We're now facing a similar push on common core standards, with the full K-12 draft standards now expected by the end of 2009, and moving to the states for implementation by mid-2010. Layer onto that i3 and other such pieces, and one has to ask if we have the stomach for ESEA reauthorization, with everything else, ed reform wise, that is happening."

Education Week: Study Finds NCLB Law Lifted Math Scores

Education Week: Study Finds NCLB Law Lifted Math Scores:

"The No Child Left Behind Act has significantly boosted mathematics achievement, but no evidence exists that it has done the same for reading, concludes a study released yesterday.

Brian A. Jacob, a professor of economics and education policy at the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, and Thomas Dee, a professor of economics at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pa., examined the effects of the federal education legislation on scores for 4th and 8th graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. They found large increases in the math scores for 4th graders and moderate ones in that subject for 8th graders. The gains in math were concentrated among white and Hispanic students, students eligible for free- or reduced-price lunches, and students at all levels of performance.
But the researchers did not find evidence of a similar impact on reading scores."

UCSC: Student protesters will be held accountable - Santa Cruz Sentinel

UCSC: Student protesters will be held accountable - Santa Cruz Sentinel:

"SANTA CRUZ -- The 70 UC Santa Cruz students who locked themselves inside Kerr Hall for three days left a 'huge mess' and will face possible criminal or campus sanctions, a campus spokesman said Sunday night.

The barricaded students were removed from the administration building early Sunday by 70 law enforcement officers, including UCSC police and officers from the Santa Cruz Police Department and the county Sheriff's Office.

The students' voluntary departure followed a demand by police that they immediately vacate or be arrested for unlawful assembly and trespass.

Damage to the building, particularly the second floor, involved trash and food left behind as well as electronic conference equipment ripped from tables, campus spokesman Jim Burns said Sunday. He estimated repairs and cleanup will cost 'thousands of dollars.'"

The Associated Press: More anti-gay, religious-motivated crimes reported

The Associated Press: More anti-gay, religious-motivated crimes reported:

"WASHINGTON — New FBI data show a sharp increase in hate crimes based on anti-gay or religious bias.

Overall, the number of reported hate crimes increased about 2 percent from last year. These same figures show a nearly 11 percent increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation, and a nearly 9 percent increase in hate crimes based on religion. The largest category, racially-motivated hate crimes, fell less than 1 percent.

The increases may be party due to more law enforcement agencies reporting hate crimes data to the FBI: 2,145 agencies in 2008, compared to 2,025 agencies the year before. In total, there were 7,783 hate crimes reported to the FBI last year, and seven murders were categorized as hate crimes."

"Think B4 You Speak"

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled...

voiceofsandiego.org: Schooled...

Bright and Early EMILY ALPERT


The almighty dollar strikes again in your morning newsblitz! It ain't pretty out there:

We blog on two clashing views on what it takes to do "zero-based budgeting" -- one way that San Diego Unified wants to revamp its financial planning -- and how the school board is nudging labor unions to look at ways to save money on health and welfare benefits.

The Union-Tribune does a Q & A with embattled Southwestern College President Raj Chopra. "I am being penalized for doing what the public expects a good public officer to do," he tells Tanya Sierra. In more controversial college news, there's a swirl of speculation over who will fill the spot after San Diego State's athletic director resigned, the Union-Tribune reports.

The University of California just hiked tuition by 32 percent, despite a storm of protests statewide. Here's the deets from the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, the Union-Tribune and the Los Angeles Times.

Google Apps for Education - Free email and apps for schools.

Google Apps for Education - Free email and apps for schools.:

"Free email and collaboration tools for your school

Get Apps for your school!

Ask questions and learn more in our online discussion group. Imagine how valuable it would be if your entire campus community — students, faculty, and staff — could share information and ideas more easily. With Google Apps Education Edition, you can start bringing that vision to life.

Google Apps Education Edition is a free suite of hosted communication & collaboration applications designed for schools and universities.

Top 10 reasons to use Google Apps

Get Apps for your school!

1. Students will love you for it

Schools tells us that when they ask their students what email they'd prefer, they overwhelmingly say Gmail.

"Our students approached us about a year ago, saying that we needed to improve our email and collaboration services. We actually had our student government tell us, 'we want you to implement Google Apps.'" - Wendy Woodward, Director of Technology Support Services, Northwestern University

2. Free up your IT

Focus your IT on activities that add value instead of worrying about the uptime of your email services.

"Google Apps has allowed us to get out of providing these commodity type services - such as maintaining an email and calendaring system - and focus on the things that we are uniquely equipped to do, like providing more resources to be able to better support teaching, learning and research." - Todd Sutton, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Application Services, UNC Greensboro

3. Easy to deploy

No software to install, no hardware to buy, just validate your MX records and create your accounts to get started. To integrate with what you already have, we work with open standards, have created a multitude of APIs, can point you to open source solutions for common integrations, and have approved partners with experience deploying Apps in schools.

"After struggling for several months to try to implement an alternative web hosted e-mail solution, we eventually turned to Google Apps which we were able to get up and running within a matter of hours" - Jhonny Oliveira, IT Manager, University of Lisbon

4. Save money

Outsourcing the maintenance of servers to Google frees up resources that would have been spent on additional licenses and upgrades.

"This helped our IT staff understand that their focus should be on strategic enterprise solutions to help us reach our educational objectives, not just overseeing commodities like email. Had we not gone with the Google solution, we'd be looking at proposing a significant increase in student fees. " - Eric Hawley, Utah State University Associate Vice President for Technology

5. You're not alone

Thousands of Universities are using Google Apps and are happy to talk about it. Talk to other customers on our Google Apps Education Edition community group or read and watch our customer case studies.

6. Google protects your privacy

We take privacy very seriously. Our business is built on our users' trust: trust in our ability to properly secure your data and our commitment to respect the privacy of the information you place in our systems by not giving that information to others or using it inappropriately. More specifically, read our FAQ on privacy, visit our Privacy Center, and review how we've handled challenges to users' privacy in the past.

7. Security as powerful as... well, Google

The security that is provided to Google Apps customers is the same security that we rely on to protect www.google.com. In addition, we run our company on Google Apps
"We're confident that Apps can meet the needs of the most demanding enterprises, because we're one ourselves. Google is a complex, global company in a fast-moving and competitive industry, and everything we do is powered by Apps. To get that kind of adoption here, it means Apps has passed a daunting bar for Enterprise suitability. If it can work for us, surely it can work for you, too." - Ben Fried, CIO and Vice President of Engineering, Google.
8. Innovation in real-time
What better way to prepare your students for the newest technology in the workplace, than by giving it to them as a part of their education?

"The response from the university community has been extremely positive because we are now partnering with cutting-edge technologists who understand that we're trying to provide the latest, most innovative technologies available today." - Roy B. Roberti, Director of Information Technology Planning, Hofstra University

9. Collaborate globally

Google Docs, our word processing application, doesn't just give you access to the same document, it actually allow students to work on the same document at the same time from anywhere in the world.

"Collaborative projects really make for an excellent education experience not only because students bounce ideas off each other and improve each other's writing skills, but also because the process itself teaches them how to work well with others - a valuable skill for everyone." - Richard Ellwood, Technology Coordinator and Digital Arts Teacher, Columbia Secondary School

10. We've got your back

Need help? We're here to help you when you need it either through our Help Center, our Education Edition customer group, or directly through the phone and email contact information provided in your administrator dashboard.

Law changes way teachers contract with districts

Law changes way teachers contract with districts:

"The Arizona Legislature made sweeping changes to state teacher contracts earlier this year, removing seniority, salary and contract guarantees.

Changes under House Bill 2011 mean that school districts will be prohibited from using tenure or seniority as a factor in determining which teachers can be laid off. Additionally, school districts no longer have to honor seniority when they rehire.

Gone is an April 15 deadline that required school districts to notify teachers of their contract status for the following school year. The changes were signed into law Sept. 4 by Gov. Jan Brewer and take effect Tuesday.

Lawmakers entered murky waters with the changes, setting limitations on how public-school districts can negotiate with teachers. The restrictions and changes, such as removing protections and prohibiting factors for hiring, make Arizona one of the more-restrictive states for teachers."

Autism treatment: Science hijacked to support alternative therapies -- chicagotribune.com

Autism treatment: Science hijacked to support alternative therapies -- chicagotribune.com:

"The Johns Hopkins neurologist and his colleagues had autopsied the brains of people with autism who died in accidents and found evidence of neuroinflammation. This rare look inside the autistic brain had the potential to increase understanding of the mysterious disorder.

It also, he knew, could inspire doctors aiming to help children recover from autism to develop new experimental treatments -- even though the research was so preliminary the scientists did not know whether the inflammation was good or bad, or even how it might relate to autism."

The Associated Press: Report finds wide disparities in gifted education

The Associated Press: Report finds wide disparities in gifted education:

"ATLANTA — When Liz Fitzgerald realized her son and daughter were forced to read books in math class while the other children caught up, she had them moved into gifted classes at their suburban Atlanta elementary school.

Just 100 miles down the road in Taliaferro County, that wouldn't have been an option. All the gifted classes were canceled because of budget cuts.

'If they didn't have it, they would get bored and distracted easily,' said Fitzgerald, whose children are 14 and 12. 'It just wouldn't be challenging.'"

R.I. education commissioner unveils sweeping reform plan | Rhode Island news | projo.com | The Providence Journal

R.I. education commissioner unveils sweeping reform plan Rhode Island news projo.com The Providence Journal:

"PROVIDENCE — State education officials have unveiled an ambitious plan to increase student proficiency, revamp failing schools, improve teacher quality and shrink gaps between low-income and middle-income students, even as the state struggles to dedicate enough resources to public education.

State Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist shared a draft of her strategic plan with the Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education on Thursday. The 20-page plan is the result of more than four months of work by Gist, who became the state’s top schools chief July 1, and her staff at the state Department of Education."

Shouldn't the evaluating get evaluated? - washingtonpost.com

Shouldn't the evaluating get evaluated? - washingtonpost.com:

"Dan Goldfarb, a 51-year-old history teacher at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School, says his first encounter with an evaluator under the District's new IMPACT system for assessing teachers did not go well. Goldfarb does not claim to be an objective observer. He doesn't like the new system or how Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is implementing it.

He was willing to reveal what the evaluator said to him, give me a copy of his evaluation and expose himself to what I expect will be an unhappy reaction from his principal and other D.C. school officials. So here goes. Goldfarb hit some bumps that deserve attention."