Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Groups work to provide more mentors for at-risk L.A. youth | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Groups work to provide more mentors for at-risk L.A. youth | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times:

Groups work to provide more mentors for at-risk L.A. youth

January 6, 2010 | 8:40 am

Los Angeles-area nonprofit groups are announcing a new initiative today aimed at boosting the number of mentors available to work with at-risk youth.

Children Uniting Nations, a nonprofit that works with foster and at-risk youth in L.A., is the lead agency for the initiative, said Juliette Harris, a spokeswoman for the organization.

Children Uniting Nations has recruited Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and the Inland Empire, Los Angeles Cares Mentoring Movement, Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters and Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters to help reach people of various faiths and socioeconomic backgrounds, Harris said.

The effect of long-term mentoring can be crucial to children and teens who might not have any guidance at home, Harris said.

“We have hundreds and thousands of kids in this country that have nobody," she said. "By having that one adult that can keep them on the right track and keep them in school or from using drugs, it’s just so key for Los Angeles right now.”

Children Uniting Nations was created to bring attention to the plight of at-risk and foster youth. The goal is to reach as many children in out-of-home care by offering role-model support, guidance, a sense of community and to promote the importance of an education.

To get more information on how to become a mentor, visit www.childrenunitingnations.org.

-- Gerrick D. Kennedy

The Educated Guess � Assembly passes monumental reforms

Assembly passes monumental reforms

Posted in Race to the Top, Standardized tests

Talk of Race to the Top will soon be superceded by all-encompassing anxiety over the state budget. But make no mistake: The two bills the Assembly passed Tuesday were historic; they will have long-lasting and far-reaching effects, whether or not California wins a dime of the $4.3 billion Race to the Top competition.
Despite full-bore opposition of the heavies in Sacramento – the school boards’, teachers union’s and school administrators’ lobbies – by this afternoon, the Legislature will have finally adopted measures thought implausible months ago. As a result, the state will be poised to:

Take decisive action to fix the worst performing schools – an action it has resisted, flying in the face of federal law, for years.
Revise its fundamentally sound but far from perfect math and English language curriculum standards. They had been viewed as sacrosanct until now.

Create new nontraditional programs for people interested in teaching science and math, opening up the field to second career candidates with a lot to offer schools.

Require participating districts to revise how they evaluate teachers and principals, incorporating test scores as one factor. Teachers unions that had dismissed any suggestion of “merit pay” will now collaborate in the process.

Give parents stuck in terrible schools a new right to send their children to better schools in other districts. Even in its compromised form, which will give receiving districts ways to avoid their obligations, the parental choice provision marks a shift in governance and establishes a new principle: A child has a basic right to attend a good school anywhere.

Critics of the Race to the Top bills, SBX5-1 and SBX5-4 implied advocates were prostituting their values for one-time federal money that won’t even fill in 10 percent of gap in the K-12 budget for next year. And it’s probably true

Superintendent Godwin Spells Out FCUSD Budget Woes — The Rancho Cordova Post

Superintendent Godwin Spells Out FCUSD Budget Woes — The Rancho Cordova Post:

"The Folsom Cordova Unified School District will be returning from their winter break with the goal of cutting at least $10.6 million from their budget, an update from Superintendent Patrick Godwin said.

Though the amount of potential cuts has been reduced from the original figure of $20 million late in 2009, Godwin said the number could go up if California cuts more funding to education. “There is a strong possibility that the state’s declining revenues will cause the governor to recommend even deeper cuts to education when he proposes his budget in January,” he said.

Godwin noted that the state cut funding to districts for average daily attendance by $250 for the current school year, and the funds were scheduled to be restored for 2010-2011. If the funds are not restored, Godwin said, then the district will need to cut at least $15 million from their budget."

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.:

"The rumors of the death of the superintendency are greatly exaggerated.

While the San Diego Unified board could not legally take any action today, it was clear from their talks today that the school district will seek a single superintendent, abandoning the idea of an alternative vision that could include as many as four school chiefs. Some in the press had speculated that the board might even eliminate the position of superintendent entirely.

But as San Diego Unified faces down a bruising budget crunch, its trustees were reluctant to start talking about dramatically different new plans. Even school board member John de Beck, who crafted the idea, said this was a bad time to bring it up.

'Put it all off,' he said. 'Keep the superintendent.'"

SCUSD Observer: Leave the money on the table

SCUSD Observer: Leave the money on the table:

"Leave the money on the table

While politicians and pseudo-educators clamor and compete for the Race to the Top funding currently working its way through the California legislature, it would behoove the SCUSD Board of Education to keep one thing in mind:

Money often doesn't fill a vacuum, it creates one.

Some California school districts will opt out of the take because the Race to the Top mandates will be difficult to implement and fund with a one-time payout.

The best option for our school district is not to enter in to this financial arrangement with the government -- in the long run, Race to the Top is a bad bargain.
''I believe that this program abandons our neighborhood schools, the children that live there and the people nearby,'' said Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch. ''Even worse, it abandons those very schools that are most in need of our help.''"

Glendale News Press > Politics

Glendale News Press > Politics:

"GLENDALE — The Democratic field to fill the 43rd District state Assembly seat left vacant by Paul Krekorian is growing.

Nayiri Nahabedian, a member of the Glendale Unified School District and a public policy professor at Cal State Los Angeles, confirmed her candidacy Tuesday.

“I see that I’m the only candidate who brings local government experience to Sacramento, and that’s something Sacramento really needs right now,” she said. “As a school board member, I have had to deal with repercussions of what Sacramento does, and Sacramento as it is now is not working, but local governments work well because we must and do balance our budget every year. We don’t pass the buck.”

Nahabedian joins fellow Democrats Andrew Westall and Mike Gatto, and Republican Sunder Ramani as official candidates. Speculation swirled around Krekorian’s chief of staff as a likely front-runner, but Adrin Nazarian said he will work alongside Krekorian at City Hall."

Three Salinas Valley school districts face state sanctions | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

The state Board of Education is scheduled to decide today whether to slap harsher sanctions on three Monterey County school districts for continually failing to meet annual goals for academic growth. Hoping for a reprieve, the superintendents from the Alisal Union, Greenfield Union and King City Union school districts will be in Sacramento to address the state school board to explain why their students haven't met federal standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act, said Fred Balcom, director of the school improvement division for the state Department of Education.

Depending on the information provided by each district — and how the board reacts to the information — one or more of the following actions could take effect:

Replace district personnel
Remove schools from the jurisdiction of the district
Appoint a receiver in charge of the district to replace the local board of trustees
Abolish or restructure the district
Authorize students to transfer to higher-performing schools.

N.J. bill on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants advances | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/05/2010

N.J. bill on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants advances | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/05/2010:

"TRENTON - A bill to allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities cleared committees in both houses of the Legislature yesterday after several hours of impassioned debate.

'It is a matter of simple fairness that students who have grown up in New Jersey, graduated from high school in New Jersey, and are the future of New Jersey, be given the simple dignity of being able to go to college here as well,' said Assemblywoman Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D., Camden), a sponsor.

Eleven states allow illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition, which in New Jersey can be half the cost of out-of-state rates. Advocates in New Jersey have been working to advance legislation on the issue since at least 2002.

The bill would allow illegal immigrants to qualify for in-state tuition if they attended a New Jersey high school for at least three years, graduated or received the equivalent of a high school diploma from a New Jersey high school, and submitted an affidavit to the college or university stating they had applied to legalize their immigration status.

The bill was released by the Assembly Appropriations Committee, voting 7-4, and the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee by a vote of 8-6 later yesterday."

Eduflack: STEM-ing the Rising Education Tide

Eduflack: STEM-ing the Rising Education Tide:

"It is hard to ignore the momentum that STEM (science-technology-engineering-mathematics) education is gaining these days. For years now, states and school districts have invested heavily in STEM education, first as a proactive step to allow our students to better compete ina flat, global economy and most recently as a reactive step to a changing economy and greatly changing job prospects. No matter the reason, STEM is hot. It is the only instructional area singled out for bonus points in Race to the Top applications. Last fall, the White House announced a new federal initiative directing $250 million in new dollars to STEM efforts. And that doesn't even count the buckets of money that have been committed to the cause from the National Science Foundation, NASA, philanthropies like the Gates Foundation, and countless corporate entities.

Today, President Obama is slated to announce an additional $250 million to 'improve science and math instruction,' essentially doubling the commitment his team made to the topic just a few short months ago in November. The full story can be found here."

Multiple Pathways Report Drafted - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces Availability
of Draft Report on Exploration of Multiple Pathway Programs

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell announced today that pursuant to Assembly Bill 2648 (Chapter 681, Statutes of 2008), a draft report on the feasibility of expanding multiple pathway programs is now available for public comment.

"Multiple pathways offer a promising high school reform approach that will assist in closing the achievement gap and preparing all students for success in the global economy of the 21st century," O'Connell said. "This draft report on California's multiple pathways initiative documents research on improving the effectiveness of our high schools. I am increasingly optimistic that multiple pathways can be an effective turnaround strategy for California's persistently low-achieving schools."

Multiple pathway programs for high schools have an integrated academic and technical core curriculum, combined with a variety of work-based learning opportunities and support services. These programs can be found in a growing number of California school districts in the form of California partnership academies, regional occupational centers and programs, charter schools, small learning communities, and other career-themed small schools.

"I appreciate the leadership of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Assembly members Wilmer Amina Carter and Warren Furutani, and Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg in supporting the exploration of this school improvement strategy," O'Connell said. "I also applaud and thank the James Irvine Foundation for its generous financial support for the research conducted for this report."

Bass, Steinberg, Carter, and Furutani authored Assembly Bill 2648 that required the State Superintendent to develop, with input from various stakeholders, a report that explores the feasibility of establishing and expanding additional multiple pathway programs in California. The California Department of Education contracted with WestEd, a public, non-profit agency specializing in educational research and development, to assist in the preparation of the report.

Fourteen chapters of the multiple pathways report are available for public review now through January 15, 2010. O'Connell emphasized that stakeholder feedback and suggested recommendations are essential to the successful completion of this important project. To review the draft AB 2648 multiple pathways report, please go to the WestEd Web site at (Coming Soon.)

The final report is expected to be transmitted to the Legislature and the Governor in February 2010.

Race to the Top Participants - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief O'Connell and Secretary of
Education Thomas Announce Hundreds of Local Educational
Agencies Intend to Participate in Race to the Top

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell and Secretary of Education Glen Thomas today announced that to date, almost 800 local educational agencies (LEAs) have indicated their intent to participate in the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) reforms and support California's RTTT application. Under the Obama Administration's guidelines, in addition to prompting legislative education reforms required for states to compete,Race to the Top calls on LEAs to voluntarily partner with the state through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to implement reforms that improve student outcomes. LEAs that wish to partner with the state's RTTT application were asked to submit letters of intent by December 31, 2009 prior to the January 8, 2010 deadline for submitting their final MOU. California's MOU was developed in accordance with recently released final Obama Administration Race to the Top guidelines.

"The federal Race to the Top competition has spurred tremendous interest among an amazing array of talented educators in California," said O'Connell. "I'm delighted that almost half of our local educational agencies already have stepped up to the challenge and agreed to partner with the state in making the fundamental education reforms called for in the Race to the Top competition. By investing in state and local systems that will accelerate and drive growth in student achievement, the Race to the Top will help California develop a highly skilled workforce, fuel future innovations, and maintain California's standing as a leading world economy."

"Representing more than 3,796,709 students, school districts that have submitted letters of intent demonstrate the collaborative effort it takes to strengthen California's Race to the Top application. However, the California legislature must still pass comprehensive legislation to ensure that California is highly competitive for this much-needed funding," said Thomas. "The leadership shown by these school district superintendents, board members, and stakeholders is truly commendable. The administration looks forward to receiving their final MOUs."

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides $4.35 billion nationally for RTTT. California may be eligible for up to $700 million. The competitive grant program is designed to encourage and reward states and LEAs that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform with a specific focus in four core areas:

Adopting internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace;
Recruiting, developing, retaining, and rewarding effective teachers and principals;
Building data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve their practices; and
Turning around the lowest-performing schools.

LEAs are invited to participate in California's RTTT application by signing an MOU that establishes a framework of collaboration and articulates specific roles and responsibilities for the LEA and the state in the implementation of an approved RTTT grant. The number of local educational agencies that have indicated their intent to sign the RTTT MOU represent nearly half of the school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools throughout the state. LEAs that want to be part of California's RTTT application have been asked to submit their signed MOU by January 8, 2010 in order for the state to prepare its application to the U.S. Department of Education for RTTT funds that is due by January 19, 2010.

For a complete list of local educational agencies that have submitted their intent to participate, please visit Race to the Top (Outside Source). For a sample of the Memorandum of Understanding, please visit Memo of Understanding Letter - Letters.

Pittsburgh Promise program offering FAFSA, tax help

Pittsburgh Promise program offering FAFSA, tax help:

"The Pittsburgh Promise last night announced a new benefit to families of some high school students -- free tax preparation and help filling out the federal financial aid application.

The services will be offered to about 3,700 families that have incomes of about $52,000 or less and that have children in their junior or senior years in Pittsburgh Public Schools or city charter schools.

Saleem Ghubril, Promise executive director, outlined the services for the city school board Education Committee last night.

Mr. Ghubril said the services will cost about $30,000 and expand two existing programs -- free tax preparation offered to low- and moderate-income residents through United Way of Allegheny County and financial aid expertise offered by NEED, a Downtown nonprofit group.

He said parents of juniors and seniors will be sent postcards providing additional details. Services will be offered at four workshops citywide; the workshops begin next month."

Teachers' union sues Ed Dept. - NYPOST.com

Teachers' union sues Ed Dept. - NYPOST.com:

Teachers sue city

Rip 'misuse' of $760M meant to slash class size

By YOAV GONEN Education Reporter

Last Updated: 5:54 AM, January 6, 2010

Posted: 4:09 AM, January 6, 2010

The city teachers union filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education yesterday, charging officials with misappropriating $760 million in state funds that were earmarked for class-size reduction over the past three school years.

The filing in Bronx Supreme Court says the city DOE's failure to ensure that principals were using the massive funding infusion as promised -- under a so-called "Contracts for Excellence" agreement with the state -- has sent class sizes soaring at an unprecedented rate.

"As far as we're concerned, this is deliberate, and one of the clearest examples of mismanagement we have ever seen in the history of this city," said United Federation of TeachersPresident Michael Mulgrew. "[Class size at] every grade level has gone up. Why are people not being held accountable for this?"

DOE officials said state and city budget cuts over the past two school years have impeded their efforts to reduce class size.

"The charges are without merit," said DOE spokesman David Cantor.

In a September 2008 monitoring report, state education officials said that the city had made some progress toward meeting its class-size targets in 2007-08 but that improvements were needed in the second year of the program.

They didn't release a similar monitoring report in 2009, and declined comment yesterday on the lawsuit.

According to city data, class sizes had been steadily dropping in most grades between kindergarten and eighth grade since at least 2004 before suddenly shooting up considerably over the past two school years.

For example, kindergarten classes went from an average of 20.6 kids in 2007-08 to 21.7 kids this year -- the highest level since 1999-2000, preliminary data shows.

Similarly, fourth-grade class sizes climbed from an average of 23.5 kids in 2007-08 to 24.4 students this year.

Senators hear debate on MPS’ future - JSOnline

Senators hear debate on MPS’ future - JSOnline:

"Dozens of speakers passionately disagreed about how to fix Milwaukee Public Schools during a daylong state Senate hearing Tuesday, with the only consensus being that a solution is unlikely to come soon in Madison.

Several hundred people packed the auditorium at MPS' central office to testify before the Senate Education Committee on a bill that would give the city's mayor more power over Milwaukee Public Schools and a separate measure that would allow the state's school superintendent to more easily intervene in failing schools in Wisconsin.

Like the Milwaukee legislators who have split over the mayoral-control legislation, members of the public at the hearing were fairly evenly divided about whether allowing the mayor, rather than the School Board, to appoint MPS' superintendent was necessary to improve academic performance in the school system or a step backward for democratic representation.

'How in the world does excluding parents from selecting their school leadership encourage them to participate in the education of their children?' Milwaukee resident Mike Rosen said."

LAUSD agrees to state mandate - LA Daily News

LAUSD agrees to state mandate - LA Daily News:

"The Los Angeles Unified school board agreed in principle Tuesday to accept new state accountability standards for teachers, principals and schools, potentially making the district eligible for millions of federal dollars.

At least 800 other school districts statewide have also agreed to implement new reforms in exchange for a shot at the $4.35 billion available in competitive federal 'Race to the Top' grants. Those reforms could include using test data to evaluate teachers and pushing for the shutdown of low-performing schools - policies long opposed by teacher unions.

The board's approval came as the state Legislature also voted on two bills to change state law to allow some of the controversial reforms required by the Obama administration to qualify for the grants.

'What I am asking you to do today is to approve a placeholder for LAUSD so that if the state gets Race to the Top dollars, we are there to receive them,' said LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines."

$250 million initiative for science, math teachers planned - washingtonpost.com

$250 million initiative for science, math teachers planned - washingtonpost.com

President Obama will announce a $250 million public-private effort Wednesday to improve science and mathematics instruction, aiming to help the nation compete in key fields with global economic rivals.

With funding from high-tech businesses, universities and foundations, the initiative seeks to prepare more than 10,000 new math and science schoolteachers over five years and provide on-the-job training for an additional 100,000 Fin science, technology, engineering and math.
It effectively doubles, to more than $500 million, a philanthropic campaign for STEM education that Obama launched in November. Separately, the government spends about $700 million a year on elementary and secondary education in the STEM fields through agencies such as NASA, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Education Department. But it's unclear how much federal spending can grow in a time of rising budget deficits.

"There is a recognition we can't do everything," said John P. Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. "We really need all hands on deck from the private sector and the philanthropic sector because the government can't foot the whole bill for this."

Education officials blamed in missing charter proposal papers - The Boston Globe

Education officials blamed in missing charter proposal papers - The Boston Globe:

"State education officials have either destroyed or refused to turn over key documents related to the evaluation of a controversial charter school proposal in Gloucester, in violation of the state public records law, according to a report released yesterday by the state inspector general’s office."

The report provides further ammunition to critics who have questioned the legitimacy of the review process and could complicate an already politically charged charter school debate scheduled to begin on Beacon Hill today as part of a sweeping education bill.

At least two members of the panel that reviewed the charter proposal said they may have shredded their evaluation notes, according to the report from Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan. The department also hampered the investigation by refusing to comply with the office’s repeated requests for a 29-page evaluation of the charter proposal, the report said.

The findings last night prompted Governor Deval Patrick, who has long had concerns about the Gloucester approval process, and Education Secretary Paul Reville to support a legislative amendment that would nullify the charter. A Gloucester state repre sentative has proposed the highly unusual action, which would circumvent the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, as part of the education bill under consideration today.

County schools put complex grading system on hold amid teacher backlash - baltimoresun.com

County schools put complex grading system on hold amid teacher backlash - baltimoresun.com:

"Baltimore County schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston backed away Tuesday from a directive requiring teachers to start immediate use of a complex online grading system after intense criticism from teachers who say the program is cumbersome, time-consuming and redundant.

Hairston's pronouncement marks a setback for an initiative developed and copyrighted by one of his top administrators who hopes to spread it across the state and beyond.

Blaming 'miscommunication and misinformation' from educators who raised concerns about the Articulated Instruction Module - or AIM - Hairston said he would work to streamline the program and limit the number of teachers who have to use it.

The system as now constructed would require every teacher to judge each student's performance in 100 different skills."

Ohio.com - Math requirements getting harder for Ohio students

Ohio.com - Math requirements getting harder for Ohio students:

"CINCINNATI: Ohio high school students entering their freshman year this fall will face tougher math requirements as part of a growing effort by Ohio and other states to better prepare students for college and careers in the global economy.

Ohio will require the incoming freshmen to complete four units of math for graduation, compared to the three now required. Another new requirement for graduation is that one of those four units must be Algebra II.

''With Algebra II, students will get a stronger background in math going into college, and career-wise — with technology growing at such a fast pace — there is a demand for students to know more math,'' Scott Blake, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Education, said Monday."

No consensus on prevention at South Phila. High meeting | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/06/2010

No consensus on prevention at South Phila. High meeting | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/06/2010:

"No one disputes that 30 Asian students were victims of racial violence last month at South Philadelphia High School.

Yesterday, however, there was little agreement on the reasons behind the problem, who or what was to blame, or how to prevent it from happening again.

As part of an investigation begun last week, the Pennsylvania Commission on Human Relations called a private meeting with representatives of the Asian community to get their take on the trouble.

Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Arlene Ackerman had not been invited. But on Monday, she contacted Commission Chairman Stephen A. Glassman and asked to be heard.

So for four hours yesterday, Ackerman and the Asian advocates presented widely divergent analyses of the Dec. 3 attacks, in which Asian students were beaten by large groups of primarily African American students."

Student volunteers prove pivotal to Sacramento-area nonprofits - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Student volunteers prove pivotal to Sacramento-area nonprofits - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee:

"When the region's school leaders began requiring students to perform community service about 10 years ago, they were largely motivated by what the experience could give to teenagers: character, civic engagement, a sense of purpose.

A major side effect, it turns out, is what the requirement has given to local nonprofits.

'It's a whole volunteer force, or work force, that wasn't there before,' said Christine Wallace, community resource coordinator at the Volunteer Center of Sacramento."

Mass. college bans head coverings that block face - USATODAY.com

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts pharmacy college instituted a ban on clothing that obscures the face, including face veils and burqas, weeks after a Muslim alumnus who is also the son of a professor was charged with plotting terror strikes.

The policy change at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Services, announced in a campus-wide e-mail last month, went into effect Friday.

Michael Ratty, a college spokesman, said the policy was developed in the fall during the school's annual review of its public safety procedures and was unrelated to the arrest of 2008 graduate Tarek Mehanna.

"It is not directed to any group or individual. It applies to all students and faculty," Ratty said.

Ratty said the school believed everyone entering the small Boston campus should be able to be properly identified. He said the college discussed the policy with Muslim students and officials at the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, and all understood the need for the change.

The policy bans only those head coverings that entirely conceal the face, which could also apply to winter clothing such as scarves or ski masks, Ratty said. The college has about 4,300 students, including 3,300 at its Boston campus. The school remains closed for winter break this week.

Jonathan Kassa, executive director of Security on Campus, a nonprofit that advocates for safer college campuses, said his group had not heard of similar policies at any other U.S. college.

EducationNews.org - A Leading Global News Source - More taxes for Michigan public education is like a Ponzi scheme

Our system of funding public schools is broken.

Yet, the race that is on to extract more tax dollars from those who have yet to lose their homes and jobs to protect the status quo borders on a Ponzi scheme. There is a clear attempt to use our children as pawns to generate additional tax support for fraudulent investments in a broken system that protects what was vs. what needs to be.

Our system of funding public education is dysfunctional and need of a systematic overhaul. The governor and legislature know this and have avoided the advice of studies and recommendations from distinguished organizations to address the structural funding crisis facing our schools, including: The Center For Michigan (http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/), Business Leaders for Michigan (formerly Detroit Renaissance) (www.businessleadersformichigan.com), Citizens Research Council (www.crcmich.org), Mackinac Center (www.mackinac.org). In addition, Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointed a bipartisan Emergency Financial Advisory Panel, co-chaired by former governors William Milliken and James Blanchard and stacked with knowledgeable Lansing insiders, that offered recommendations on how best to avoid ongoing budget crises like Michigan is experiencing now. The governor never acted on her panel's recommendations.

Avoiding these reports and asking for new taxes is perpetuating an intentional deception on the public. Like a giant Ponzi scheme, as long as there is new money coming into the system, the scam can continue. It is when we stop feeding the status quo with new tax dollars that the system, like a Ponzi scheme, seizes up.

Asking for new taxes without reform is a fraudulent investment in a system that will not make us competitive in the global economy. Without serious reform of the system, it is like pouring new money into a glass with a hole in the bottom and wondering why it can never be filled.

Albany 'talking' to charters, but still wary -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY

Albany 'talking' to charters, but still wary -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY:

"ALBANY -- Albany school leaders are considering an expansion of the district's extended day and academic programs to better compete with the city's ever-increasing number of charter schools.

District officials have also extended an olive branch to the city's biggest charter school organizer, a move that would have been unprecedented just 12 months ago.
The Albany district's newly formed Charter Schools Committee quietly met last month with leaders of the Brighter Choice charter school network, which has provided assistance to 11 of the 12 charter schools that will be operating in Albany by next fall. The two sides in a decade-long bitter war for students in Albany discussed enrollment issues and agreed to share data, student information and effective teaching practices.

'We both serve the same kids and we should be talking,' said Chris Bender, executive director of the Brighter Choice Foundation."

Gov. Granholm signs education reform bills | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Package aimed at helping state qualify for federal aid for schools

Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Lansing -- Michigan has two weeks to finalize its application for about $400 million in federal "Race to the Top" cash, following Gov. Jennifer Granholm's signing of education reform bills Monday aimed at qualifying for the aid.

The five-bill package will raise the state's dropout age to 18, tie teacher pay and job security to student achievement and open about 30 new charter schools.

"The reason this is so significant is now everything will be focused on: 'Is this child learning?' " Granholm said. "It's all about academic progress."

State schools Superintendent Michael Flanagan added: "This is a game changer forever."

Granholm also said there should be clear authority for emergency financial managers, such as Robert Bobb in the Detroit Public Schools, to also be emergency academic managers, which would allow those leaders to take over entire districts.

Deadline for the state Department of Education to complete application for the federal aid is Jan. 19. But Flanagan said it's his sense that only a couple of states will be awarded grants in the first round and the others will be given feedback and asked to reapply in April.

"If Michigan is one of the first two or three, that would be great," he said. "But there are 50 states. You do the math."

Local districts are expected to send letters of support by the end of this week, Flanagan said. But union leaders argued in a statement Monday it doesn't make sense to sign off on an application

Charters & special ed: the truth: Don't believe the UFT's distorted claims

Charters & special ed: the truth: Don't believe the UFT's distorted claims:

"In a new report, the United Federation of Teachers has committed to a fresh line of attack against charter schools: Charters aren't enrolling enough special education students. The teachers union doesn't want the state Legislature to lift its cap on the number of charter schools until - among a whole raft of other 'reforms' - they enroll their fair share of disabled kids.

It's true that a lower proportion of charter school students are in special education relative to the surrounding public schools. However, the reasons for the special education gap are nuanced and are not primarily driven by the charters' bad behavior. In fact, the lower percentages of special education students in charters may actually be a sign of what they're doing right."

Williams backs more charter schools : City & Region : The Buffalo News

At the request of Superintendent James A. Williams, the Buffalo Board of Education last month urged the state to impose a moratorium on new charter schools in and around Buffalo.

But Williams is now about to endorse a state grant application that calls for a major expansion of charter schools in New York State.

The reason for the turnaround is money — big money.

The state seeks as much as $700 million from the federal Race to the Top grants, which will be awarded to states later this year on a competitive basis.

Buffalo figures to get a sizable portion of any money New York lands but will be eligible for the money only if Williams signs off on a set of reforms the state Education Department proposed.

Based on federal guidelines stressing innovation and reform, the state loaded up that application with initiatives to increase the number and scope of charter schools.

That left Williams with two choices: stand firm on his effort to halt the growth of charter schools or put Buffalo in the running for millions of federal dollars.

He chose the latter. “Sometimes as superintendent you have to take the middle of the road,” Williams said Tuesday. “If it means an additional $500,000 at five or six of our schools, selfishness should not be the driving force. You have to do what’s best for the children.”

As a result, Williams said he will tell a Board of Education committee this evening that he will sign the state memorandum, even though it would broaden the role of charter schools. The document urges the State Legislature to:

• Raise the statewide cap on charter schoo

Duncan promotes simpler college financial aid application - washingtonpost.com

Duncan promotes simpler college financial aid application - washingtonpost.com:

"Torrin King, a college-bound senior, was racing through an online student aid questionnaire Tuesday morning in the counseling center at Banneker Senior High School. He clicked through one Web page after another, demonstrating the streamlined federal application as Education Secretary Arne Duncan watched over his shoulder."

"It's pretty easy to do," the 17-year-old student from Southeast Washington said. "You don't have to be a specialist. It's user-friendly." Torrin, who is applying to Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh, George Washington University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said his older sister had painful memories of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
"When she did it years ago, she said it was a hassle," he said.
This month, the government is rolling out a shorter, simpler aid application to reduce barriers to higher education, especially for needy students. About 20 million students file the FAFSA, as it is known, each year.
Duncan and Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, promoted the revised

City Schools Ignore Law to Cut Class Sizes, Lawsuit Says - NYTimes.com

City Schools Ignore Law to Cut Class Sizes, Lawsuit Says - NYTimes.com:

"Despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce class sizes, the city’s Department of Education has ignored state law and allowed classrooms to grow in the last couple of years, the city teachers’ union and other groups said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The dispute stems from a lengthy legal battle that ended in 2006, when the state’s highest court ruled that the state was failing to ensure that New York City and other high-needs districts were providing all children with the opportunity for a sound basic education. The ruling led the state to send the city about $1.5 billion in the last three years, about $750 million of which was earmarked for class-size reductions.

But despite the new money, and a decline in student enrollment citywide, class sizes have increased, according to the lawsuit, filed in State Supreme Court in the Bronx."

School renewal won't end :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

School renewal won't end :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

Renaissance 2010 and its push to create 100 new schools by this year, many of them from rejuvenated failing ones, won't end in 2010, Mayor Daley vowed Tuesday.

"We'll always continue," Daley told a group of educators and reporters at a news conference. "I hope there's a chapter two [of Renaissance 2010], a chapter three, a chapter four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10."

Chicago Public Schools are expected to soundly meet Daley's challenge, announced in June 2004 before a host of civic leaders, to create 100 new schools, in part by closing at least 70 troubled ones.

So far, Renaissance 2010 has given birth to 94 new schools -- many in high-poverty communities. Seven more are expected by fall, CPS officials say. Many were placed in dozens of schools closed for failing test scores or low enrollment.

Although bits and pieces of the initiative have been studied, no thorough analysis of all Renaissance 2010 schools has been released. Meanwhile, the effort has drawn both praise and protests.

Chicago Teachers Union officials and some parents have complained about children being shuffled from school to school, teachers being displaced, and spikes in violence at schools forced to absorb kids from closed schools. Some call the initiative an attempt to "privatize" the system with outside operators and "gentrify" struggling neighborhoods.

But many business leaders, nonprofit foundations and parents at some rejuvenated schools embrace the innovation and passion the effort has reaped. Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman calls it a