The Educated Guess � The rush to common-core standards

The Educated Guess � The rush to common-core standards:

"Of all the reforms that legislators are on the verge of passing to enhance its Race to the Top application, the most consequential also has been the least discussed.

California is about to commit to junk its decade-old, much ballyhooed system of K-12 academic standards by Aug. 2. Doing so will the require writing new assessments and curriculum frameworks and adopting new textbooks over the next few years– at a cost that easily run in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

What’s amazing is not the state’s consideration of the Obama administration’s push for “common core” standards. The concept of internationally benchmarked academic standards to which students in all states can be measured and compared is certainly sound."

Education Futures - Share the love: Embedding the Education Futures timeline

Education Futures - Share the love: Embedding the Education Futures timeline:

"Share the love: Embedding the Education Futures timeline"

Source: Education Futures

VIET NAM NET Top 10 education issues for 2009

VIET NAM Top 10 education issues for 2009

1. University tuition ceiling raised to 240,000 dong

On August 21 the Prime Minister raised university tuitions from 180,000 dong to 240,000 dong per month. The tuition adjustment is part of the National Assembly’s Resolution on renovating education and training finances.

Tuition hikes have brought new worries to students burdened with higher daily expenses, room rents and other study costs. Many question if higher tuitions mean higher quality in education.

2. MOET drafts strategy for education development in 2009-2020

The Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) announced plans for education development in 2009-2020, but it was not welcomed. Many believe that the ministry needs to devise a more scientific and feasible strategy.

Experts have pointed out that the time frame is not realistic and planners did not consult prestigious scientists and teachers from universities or education institutes.  The plan’s goals are termed both unnecessary and unfeasible.

3. The future of multiple university entrance exams undecided

MOET tried multiple times to end university entrance exams and organize a single test for both high schools and universities, but the public has not supported the measure.

4. Many schools became hospitals to fight A/H1N1 flu

On July 19, 2009, Ngo Thoi Nhiem High School in HCM City became the first school in Vietnam to serve as a hospital to fight swine flu. Other schools followed, becoming makeshift hospitals with physicians, ambulances and medical equipment.

5. Schools try to renovate teaching and learning methods

Many schools have sought to improve teaching and learning methods to replace older approaches that have been criticized as “out of date and ineffective.” Luong Dinh Cua Primary School in HCM City, for example, organised group-based classes to shift to student-centered teaching methods.

The HCM City Education and Training Department supported these changes.

6. Too many school fees frighten students’ parents

Education inspection tours discovered that schools collected too many fees and burdening parents and students. One primary school in Hanoi, for example, had a long list

Star Academy shines The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper

Star Academy shines The Post and Courier - Charleston SC newspaper:

"It doesn't look like a typical high school classroom, and that's because it isn't.

The Stall High School classroom with the ball chairs and laptops is home to the school's Star Academy, a place where students who are behind can complete eighth and ninth grades in one year. They use the laptops for individualized lessons at their own pace, and the ball chairs allow them more movement than stiff, plastic ones.

'We're trying to meet the needs of nontraditional kids in a nontraditional way because a traditional setting hasn't worked for these kids,' said Anna Dassing, one of the school's assistant principals and director of the Star Academy."

Schools shortchange special needs kids, sending them home early

Schools shortchange special needs kids, sending them home early:

"The city has cheated some special needs kids out of valuable time in school, pulling them from class early to catch their ride home.

Across the city, the Daily News found scores of students boarding school buses as much as 40 minutes before the official end of the day.

'It's not right. They're not helping the kids learn more or get better in school,' said Jacqueline Peralta, 35, mother of two students, Luis Diaz, 16, and Carla Diaz, 14, who attend Public School 79 in East Harlem because they use wheelchairs and have learning disabilities.

On a December afternoon, two dozen students at PS 79 boarded buses at least a half-hour before the end of classes."

2theadvocate.com | News | La. tops U.S. in teacher training — Baton Rouge, LA

2theadvocate.com | News | La. tops U.S. in teacher training — Baton Rouge, LA:

"Louisiana may score low in many national education rankings, but the rest of the country is paying more attention to the way the state trains its teachers.

Just this past week, education officials from at least 10 states — from California to Georgia — visited Baton Rouge to study Louisiana’s state’s teacher-prep model, officially called the Value-Added Teacher Preparation Assessment Model.

Studies thus far have shown that, in some cases, new Louisiana teachers are performing as well or even better than more-experienced peers after going through “redesigned” teacher-preparation programs."

Nerd, nerd, nerd is the word: Prof says the slur scares kids off science and math

Nerd, nerd, nerd is the word: Prof says the slur scares kids off science and math

David Anderegg, a professor of psychology at Bennington College who puts the "egg" in "egghead," believes he knows one reason why America lags in producing math and sciences whiz kids.

It's because, he thinks, the U.S. has stereotyped the intellectually advanced among us as pocket protector-wearing social misfits. And no teenager worth his or her acne medication wants to be seen as such a retro creature.

Anderegg suggests banning two words from the vocabulary: "nerd" and "geek."

That guy who won't make eye contact because he's enraptured by a new social networking app on his iPhone? Call him a technophile.

That guy who won't read a novel, not even the sci-fi book of the year, unless it's available for the Kindle? He's an environmentally aware, cutting-edge bookworm.

Read more:http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/12/22/2009-12-22_nerd_nerd_nerd_is_the_word.html#ixzz0aQHt2BNG

Rochester school board approves 2 new high schools | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

Rochester school board approves 2 new high schools | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

Rochester school board members signed off Monday on proposals for two new high schools, but as enrollment in the city declines, the move means closing old ones.

As state and federal governments push for quick closure of failing schools, the decision to open the new schools — supported by nearly $1 million in public and private grants — likely locks the district into phasing out at least two schools starting this fall. Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard said it could be as many as five.

At a meeting to discuss the proposals, Brizard told board members that the new schools' costs will be absorbed easily into the district's budget.

"Most of the funding is going to come internally," Brizard said. "We anticipate, of course, closing schools to replace these schools. We intend to hopefully operate fewer facilities."

Early College High School, a partnership between the district, St. John Fisher College and Monroe Community College, will be designed with input from the Asia Society, a national nonprofit with school planning experience.

The early college model, which allows studentsto earn as many as 20 college credits during high school, was the subject of

Michigan schools on brink of funding crisis | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Michigan schools on brink of funding crisis | detnews.com | The Detroit News:

"Lansing -- While lawmakers enacted sweeping education reforms last week in an effort to win up to $400 million in federal Race to the Top cash, they left in place a finance system that some say is failing public schools.

Funding is heavily reliant on retail sales in a down economy that is increasingly shifting toward services. That has left school budgets lean and getting leaner at a time when the state needs to retool to prepare students for a knowledge-based marketplace.

'We have to fix the way education is funded in Michigan,' Gov. Jennifer Granholm said. 'Our funding structure was adopted at a time when the economy was different.'"

School group flunks Capitol roof repair - NYPOST.com

School group flunks Capitol roof repair - NYPOST.com:

"ALBANY -- Education groups yesterday blasted the Paterson administration's decision to approve a $50 million state Capitol renovation at the same time schools face a freeze in state aid.

'The timing of this is really bad,' said New York State School Boards Association Executive Director Timothy Kremer.

'It sends out another one of these mixed messages to the taxpayers that says, 'Do as I say, not as I do.' '

The Post first reported yesterday that the Office of General Services in July awarded bids to begin the final, five-year phase of a massive state Capitol renovation project."

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer | MNN - Mother Nature Network

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer | MNN - Mother Nature Network:

It would be easy to mock a grad student who decides to put down roots with her auto-mechanic boyfriend in a sketchy part of Oakland, Calif., better known for its murder rate than fresh produce.

But Novella Carpenter did and readers should thank her for it. In Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, Carpenter comes across as the sort of person you’d hope to meet at a dinner party, nutty enough to be captivating and charming enough to draw you in. From her opening sentence, “I have a farm on a dead-end street in the ghetto,” she had me hooked.

No survivor’s tale of crime and desperation, Farm Cityis a memoir based on living off the land with modest expectations. Carpenter writes about establishing and then subsisting on a garden plot located on an abandoned 4,500-square-foot lot next to her apartment building.

In a decaying city suffering from “beautiful neglect,” Carpenter and her boyfriend join a community called Ghost Town, which is composed of immigrants, outliers and miscreants unfit for the slick precincts of San Francisco or the manicured lawns of Berkeley. They befriend Lana — who says that’s “anal spelled backward,” by way of introduction — and Bobby, a junk-collecting homeless resident.

NPS study of Salinas links dropout rate, unemployment to gang violence - MontereyHerald.com :

NPS study of Salinas links dropout rate, unemployment to gang violence - MontereyHerald.com ::

"In a report to be released next month, researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey find that nearly 30 years of violence in Salinas has been intimately tied to education and employment levels, but not necessarily to crowded housing or police staffing levels.
'Although funding will be a problem for any program recommended to help lower violence, education pursuits should be given priority for funding,' the report concludes.

One finding surprised the authors — that Salinas' crowded housing not only did not exacerbate violent crime, but was inexplicably tied to decreases.

An analysis of whether police budgets have an impact on violent crime was inconclusive. But that shouldn't rule out a hard look at the city's approach to policing, the report said.

The NPS research is part of an ongoing effort to understand — and rectify — the city's violent crime rate, which for 14 straight years has been greater than state and national averages. A record number of 29 homicides this year have been blamed on gang violence."

Parent fees for public education come under scrutiny: Part Two SDNN: San Diego News Networ

Parent fees for public education come under scrutiny: Part Two

Note: Part One, published yesterday, discussed how one woman’s crusade to eliminate required fees for public school classes and programs has garnered mixed reactions.
Brett Killeen, principal of Torrey Pines High School in the San Dieguito Union High School District, said in an email that the requirement to fund all extracurricular activities at his former high school in San Bernardino resulted in reduced quality of programs in some cases, a fact that sometimes “irritated students.”
For example, rather than allow the cheer team members to buy their own cheerleading outfits, the school supplied them. “It was of lesser quality and could not be customized, because the uniforms were used year-to-year,” Killeen said. “They were checked out to the students; they couldn’t keep them anymore.”
“It’s a tricky line,” said Brian Kohn, principal of Canyon Crest Academy, another high school in the San Dieguito district. “You want to make it clear these programs do cost money. They’re expensive. So you need the donations.”
But Kohn said the school is careful about the language used to solicit funds.

“We say, ‘Here’s what the program costs.’ But it’s very carefully worded to make sure that people understand that it’s not something that affects whether or not a student can participate,” he said.
The Envision arts program at Canyon Crest is particularly expensive. Even so, Kohn said no student whose family cannot


Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-12-22/education/education-commentary/parent-fees-for-public-education-come-under-scrutiny-part-two#ixzz0aQCDp3dH

Schools Plan Spells Trouble in Beverly Hills | NBC Los Angeles

Schools Plan Spells Trouble in Beverly Hills | NBC Los Angeles

Schools Plan Spells Trouble in Beverly Hills

A contentious proposal goes before the Beverly Hills School Board next month.

Just how contentious?

Police will be on hand when the board votes. If heightened security doesn't do enough to illustrate the furor surrounding the plan, consider the name calling.

"I’ve been called 'Hitler,'" board member Brian Goldberg told the New York Times. "I just want the noise to lessen."

The noise is being generated by a plan that would eliminate hundreds of slots at Beverly Hills schools reserved for non-residents.

As things stand, the board allows some residents of nearby communities to attend Beverly Hills schools on a permit basis. That could change for some of those non-resident students if the proposal is approved.

"I am incredibly compassionate and sympathetic for what is going on here," Jake Manaster, a board member, told the New York Times. "It was very generous of Beverly Hills to take 20 percent of students from the outside."

That was back when school funding tied to enrollment worked in the district's favor. More students meant more state aid.

The state's budget crisis changed things. According to the Times article:

Essentially, because the city is collecting more in property taxes designated for education than it would receive from the state for its schools, the city is required to use its tax dollars directly to finance

Pasadena Unified School District pushes parcel tax, budget cuts

Pasadena Unified School District pushes parcel tax, budget cuts:

"What is a student worth? Parents and teachers might balk at putting a price tag on a child, but for public school districts in California, the price is $5,000 per head per year in state funding.
With fewer students—a lost of more than 3,000 since 2004—the Pasadena Unified School District is facing declining income along with declining enrollment. A projected budget deficit of $20 million has resulted in proposed cuts to match. Cuts include faculty, staff, libraries, and athletics.

The PUSD, which includes Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre, is pushing to get funding from tried-and-true sources, such as a parcel tax on the 70,000 parcels in the district and property leases. It has also come up with less traditional sources, such as charging a fee for home-to-school transportation for regular education students, and a “gift” catalog provided by the Pasadena Educational Foundation, which provides grants to the district."

Newest SF Muni fare increase may further affect access to education

Newest SF Muni fare increase may further affect access to education

The newest Muni Fast Pass, premiering January 2010, will debut with a new 2-step system, rescinding a well used rider perk for many years. Scores of San Francisco commuters have enjoyed and depended on their ability to use the monthly Muni Fast Pass on Bart as well, for travel within San Francisco to work and to school. But as of next month, not only will the Fast Pass fare increase, but the ability to use the pass on Bart travel within San Francisco will cost an additional monthly fee. Any fare increase directly affects education access for adult learners, but the burden of an even greater fare increase for Bart use will be especially hard to take. Fast Pass users were hit with a $10 increase in July, and now less than 6 months later another increase will take effect. This time a 2-tier system materializes, with a new $60 Fast Pass for Muni only riders, and a $70 Fast Pass for riders who need to use Bart within San Francisco as well.

The Associated Press: Study: Schools face shortfalls after stimulus ends

The Associated Press: Study: Schools face shortfalls after stimulus ends:

"ALBANY, N.Y. — Using federal stimulus money to avoid layoffs at schools is going to create a shortfall even more difficult for states and schools to contend with when that money runs out, according to a first-of-its-kind study released Monday.

New York alone will see a $2 billion shortfall after stimulus money ends in 2011-12, and that could drive up some of the nation's highest local property taxes another 8 percent, according to the analysis by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

'This isn't just a New York problem,' DiNapoli said in an early and detailed analysis of school aid after federal stimulus funds run out in 2011-12. 'Other states across the country will face a similar dilemma if they used stimulus money to plug budget holes instead of paying for one-time expenses."

Common Core standards undermine California's gains

Common Core standards undermine California's gains:

"Academic content standards are lists of the topics that K-12 students are expected to master in each grade. This past summer, organizations of governors and of state school superintendents launched a new effort (the Common Core State Standards Initiative) to create common academic standards across all states, effectively national content standards. The federal government has promised $350 million stimulus money to promote these standards, and states that compete for a slice of the $4 billion available from the federal 'Race to the Top' program would be required to adopt them."

PD Editorial: School wars | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat | Santa Rosa, CA

PD Editorial: School wars | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat | Santa Rosa, CA:

"Familiar old battles are holding up state's Race to the Top effort"

With a deadline approaching to apply for up to $700 million in federal aid for public schools, state legislators are still debating how to proceed.

That debate reprises long-running disagreements between the California Teachers Association and education reform groups, fought out by their respective surrogates in Sacramento.

It may make for grand political theater, but millions of schoolchildren stand to lose if they can't reach a sensible compromise.

There's no question that California schools are struggling. Too many high school graduates require remedial math and English classes in college — if they pursue a higher education at all. Drop-out rates are unacceptable, with at least one in five students not finishing high school. The state has fallen near the bottom nationally in funding and academics, receiving a D grade in student achievement in Education Week magazine's school survey this year.

None of these problems will be eliminated by Race to the Top, the U.S. Department of Education's $4.35 billion grant program. California's potential share — $350 million to $700 million — is less than 2 percent of what the state spends on K-12 education annually.

What an infusion of federal money could do is restore some of the teaching positions eliminated by budget cuts and pay

Despite economy, our schools continue to deliver - Whittier Daily News

Despite economy, our schools continue to deliver - Whittier Daily News:

"Did you know that funding for your local public schools has been reduced by more than 18percent over the last two years? With three married children and 11 grandchildren here in California, I am well aware of the economy in our state.

Many of our community members are having financial difficulties. We have all tried to work more efficiently and tighten our financial belt, so to speak. In this district, like many of you at home, we have used all of our savings to mitigate the loss of funding and maintain our outstanding programs.

Of course, the longer this financial downturn continues, the more difficult it will be for everyone."

Thomas Elias: New budget cuts will be costly� Redding Record Searchlight

Thomas Elias: New budget cuts will be costly� Redding Record Searchlight:

"California will soon be hearing a new cry of alarm from its movie tough-guy governor, whose upcoming state of the state speech will be unable to gloss over the reality that this year's budget shortfall is even worse than last year's.

Maybe the numbers won't be quite as high: The deficit staring at state officials might be a "mere" $20 billion instead of the $40 billion or so of one year ago. But that's only because of last year's cuts, which lower considerably the starting point.

So the pressure for large cuts is again upon us. Some will surely want to lop 15 percent or so from whatever was allocated to state programs during the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. Some will want to chop even more from programs that took substantial hits last year.

But budget cutters beware: The moves that save you a little money this year might end up costing far more down the line. Of course, because of term limits, many people making key decisions this year will not be around to cope with the consequences even as soon as one year from now. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a prime example.

It's impossible, of course, to list all the potential moves that might backfire. But here's one: Cutting funding for battered women's shelters, a 2009 cut that has been partly rescinded, costs not only untold human misery when women are forced to stay with violent husbands or boyfriends. But the cuts can cost more money than they save when those women show up at emergency rooms, trauma centers and hospitals for treatment of injuries that could have been avoided if they'd found a shelter. No one has yet calculated how much the 2009 closures - some later reversed - will eventually cost.

Similarly, no one can know how much an unheralded upcoming prison system cut might cost.

The prisons are due very soon to"

Oscar winner A. R. Rahman selling 2010 calendar for "education for the less privileged children"

Oscar winner A. R. Rahman selling 2010 calendar for "education for the less privileged children"

Oscar winning musician A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) has come up with a Calendar 2010 in aid of "education for the less privileged children".

With pictures of Rahman in various music related moods/settings and his thoughts on topics like love, music, and language; this desk-top calendar is being sold for Rupees 250. Reportedly produced by A. R. Rahman Foundation in collaboration with World Light (Audio Media Education subsidiary), its photographs are captured by T. Selvakumar, Audio Media Education director. “All praises belong to the Almighty”, is one of the quotes on the Calendar.

A. R. Rahman Foundation wants to “make poverty history”. As a first step towards achieving the vision of “strive towards making poverty history”, the Foundation will set up educational institutions and provide world class, state-of-the-art infrastructure and education to underprivileged children who do not have the means to access & fund their education. This will equip them with knowledge and skill sets to pursue specialized higher studies that will provide them career opportunities to build a secure future for themselves and their families, Foundation states.

Foundation is reportedly providing free music education to 30 students from corporation schools in Chennai (India) in Rahman’s world-class K M Music Conservatory and aims at increasing this number.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has applauded Rahman for his efforts in educating the less privileged children, saying religions tell us to help the helpless. Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged other world entertainment celebrities to follow Rahman in contributing to poverty eradication from the planet.

Rahman, who has reportedly recorded sales of over 300 million, was called “Mozart of Madras'' by Time magazine. Rahman sees music “as a way to connect to spirituality and embrace it” and for “creating harmony in troubled times”.

Teachers union files lawsuit over charter takeovers -- latimes.com

Teachers union files lawsuit over charter takeovers -- latimes.com:

"The union representing Los Angeles teachers filed a lawsuit Monday to block the potential hand-over of new campuses to charter schools under the district's groundbreaking and controversial school-reform strategy.

Charter-school advocates defended the plan's legality as did the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The Board of Education approved a resolution in August to turn over 12 long-struggling campuses and 18 new ones to bidders from inside or outside the district, including some charter operators.

The long-anticipated lawsuit contends that under state law a new school can only become a charter if at least 50% of its permanent teachers petition for it.

The union argues a new school must be staffed by district teachers who would then have the option of converting it to a charter. Under the district's plan, a charter could move into a new school and hire its own faculty.

Charters operate independently of local districts and are not bound by some rules that govern traditional schools. Most charters are non-union."

Special session of Tennessee Assembly to focus on education

Special session of Tennessee Assembly to focus on education:

"Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has called for a special session of the Tennessee General Assembly to focus on education. The special session will start on January 12, 2010, which is when the Assembly's regular session is scheduled to start as well.

The first part of the special session is scheduled to focus on Tennessee's application for the Race to the Top competition. The federal government's Race to the Top competition has many states competing for a share of more than $4 billion in Recovery Act funds. This special session will focus on policy changes that may be made prior to the January 19th deadline, which will increase the state's chance for success in the competition.

The special session will also focus on accountability in higher education. The governor is calling for changes in the state's funding formula for higher education to make it substantially based on whether the"

Op-Ed Contributors - High School’s Last Test - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Contributors - High School’s Last Test - NYTimes.com:

"THE federal government is about to make a huge investment in high school. As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Congress has appropriated more than $100 billion to public schools, including a competitive “Race to the Top” fund that encourages innovation.

But the real revolution, tucked away in the Race to the Top guidelines released by the Department of Education last month, is that high school has a new mission. No longer is it enough just to graduate students, or even prepare them for college. Schools must now show how they increase both college enrollment and the number of students who complete at least a year of college. In other words, high schools must now focus on grade 13."

Clout St: Quinn appoints three to state education board

Clout St: Quinn appoints three to state education board:

"Gov. Pat Quinn named three people to the State Board of Education today, including an Evanston attorney who campaign finance records show has donated more than $120,000 to state and federal Democratic candidates in the past 15 years, including more than $5,000 to Quinn.

Quinn announced he had named Steven Gilford, an attorney and a former president of the Evanston Township District 202 school board, to the state education board along with James Bauman, a former Lake Bluff District 65 school board official, and Melinda LaBarre, a former Springfield school principal and teacher.

At the same time, Quinn moved six-year state board member Joyce Karon of Barrington to a recently formed panel aimed at putting together a proposal for Illinois to compete to receive education funding through the federal stimulus program."

Computer Science Education: It’s Not Shop Class - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Computer Science Education: It’s Not Shop Class - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com:

"As I noted in an article Monday, the National Science Foundation wants to reform high school computer science education in America, expanding its reach and updating the curriculum to better prepare students for a 21st-century economy. Professional organizations and major technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Intel support the broad agenda, though companies are not getting into curriculum details.

There is some reason for optimism. The Obama administration is increasing federal support for science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, or STEM programs."

Walter E. Williams : Black Education - Townhall.com

Walter E. Williams : Black Education - Townhall.com:

"Detroit's (predominantly black) public schools are the worst in the nation and it takes some doing to be worse than Washington, D.C. Only 3 percent of Detroit's fourth-graders scored proficient on the most recent National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) test, sometimes called 'The Nation's Report Card.' Twenty-eight percent scored basic and 69 percent below basic. 'Below basic' is the NAEP category when students are unable to demonstrate even partial mastery of knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient work at their grade level. It's the same story for Detroit's eighth-graders. Four percent scored proficient, 18 percent basic and 77 percent below basic."

Michael Casserly, executive director of the D.C.-based Council on Great City Schools, in an article appearing in Crain's Detroit Business, (12/8/09) titled, "Detroit's Public Schools Post Worst Scores on Record in National Assessment," said, "There is no jurisdiction of any kind, at any level, at any time in the 30-year history of NAEP that has ever registered such low numbers." The academic performance of black students in other large cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles is not much better than Detroit and Washington.

According to the 2007 and 2002 national report cards on reading by the National Assessment of  Educational Progress (NAEP),  most of our children are less than proficient in reading even after 12 years of our attempts to teach them: BELOW BASIC African American 4th grade 54% 12th grade 46% Hispanic 4th grade 50% 12th grade 39% American Indian/Alaska Native 4th grade 51% 12th grade n/a Asian/Pacific Islander 4th grade 23% 12th grade 27% White 4th grade 22% 12th grade 21% BELOW PROFICIENT African American 4th grade 86% 12th grade 84% Hispanic 4th grade 83% 12th grade 78% American Indian/Alaska Native 4th grade 82% 12th grade 80% Asian/Pacific Islander 4th grade 54% 12th grade 65% White 4th grade 57% 12th grade 58% Note: 4th grade data from NAEP 2007 report - 12th grade data from NAEP 2002 report NAEP description of basic and proficient

Villaraigosa: 2009 was 'one of the best years we've had' - ContraCostaTimes.com

Villaraigosa: 2009 was 'one of the best years we've had' - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"Despite all evidence to the contrary, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa insists this past year was one of his best in more than 4 1/2 years as the city's chief executive.

Forget that he lost his biggest ally and the source of the city's success in reducing crime with the departure of Police Chief Bill Bratton.

Don't pay any attention to the fact that he is overseeing a city government that is shrinking by 2,400 workers, and faces a perennial shortfall in revenue that has stalled his ambitious hiring plan for the Los Angeles Police Department.

And ignore the low regard the public holds for all levels of government and politicians now, and his lower-than-expected showing in his re-election last March."