Wednesday, March 31, 2010

To fix schools, adults need to grow up - Home - The Orange County Register

To fix schools, adults need to grow up

If only life were like the elementary school on the "South Park" cartoon.

On the TV show, the wacky adults mess up, only to have life bounce back with the magic of animation.

Educators and their supporters from Anaheim Elementary Education Association and Anaheim Secondary Teachers Association protest cuts to the education budget earlier this month.

ROD VEAL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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But fixing education for children in Orange County and the rest of California is far more challenging. It's time for adults to get real.

Some 1,500 teaching positions were eliminated last year in Orange County. In March, an additional 2,219 layoff notices went out to local teachers and other educators in an effort to meet a combined $365.3 million projected deficit for the 2010-11 school year.

It's as if we expect life to somehow just get better in the next episode.

If you doubt we may be heading into a crisis consider California had the second highest student-teacher ratio (20.8 to 1) in the nation in 2007, the latest report by the federal National Center for Education Statistics. And that was before the layoffs.

We're also seeing cuts in music, art, PE and vocational education. Even our legislators agree we've cut to the bone.

Looking for solutions – or at least some hope – I'm visiting with teachers, legislators, school boards and parents. Today, we're hearing from teachers. Why are teachers first? Because they're in the trenches. Legislators are next.

In past years, unions claimed they had solutions. This year is different.

To be sure, the educators had a few suggestions. Take money out of cash reserves, for one. But they admitted the sum wasn't much when compared with what is needed to restore education to what it was just

UC system continues to battle a fiscal crisis | 89.3 KPCC

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Students held protests at California campuses last fall in light of education cuts.

UC system continues to battle a fiscal crisis

March 30, 2010 | Brittany Knotts | KPCC

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The state's higher education systems are trying to provide students a future amidst a fiscal crisis.

California faces a very tough fiscal situation that has extended to education from the elementary level all the way up to the college and university level.

Last fall students walked out on University of California and California State University campuses across the state to protest fee increases and course availability cuts. Now the UC regents have formed the Commission on the Future to figure out how best to deal with the budget crisis.

Several ideas have been thrown around including the creation of three-year degrees, online courses and many types of annual fee increases.

Nick Roman spoke to Russell Gould, the chairman of the UC Board of regents, on Patt Morrison’s program. Gould attributed most of the issues facing the UC system to the way the state has handled its own fiscal crisis.

“There’s been an erosion in terms of priority of higher education,” he said. “Unfortunately it’s led to substantial fee increases like the 30 percent fee increase that was placed on students this year.”

Gould also added that other priorities, such as the state’s health care woes, have become more pressing to the state legislature than higher education has.

Gould advocated the exploration of all options during such a tight financial time and advocated the kind of change that would keep the UC system a well respected institution.

“It’s clear to me that we need to be a leaner, more focused institution if we’re to survive and still provide the kind of quality education that will driv

Pro-illegal immigrant studies won't end debate - San Jose Mercury News

Pro-illegal immigrant studies won't end debate

By thomas d. elias

Posted: 03/31/2010 12:06:02 AM PDT

Updated: 03/31/2010 12:06:02 AM PDT

If the UCLA and USC professors whose studies early this year concluded that allowing illegal immigrants to stay in America would provide a huge boost to the economy thought their findings might end one of this country's longest-running policy and moral debates, they were sadly mistaken.

For the battle over illegal immigrants and whether they should be permitted some path to eventual citizenship actually heated up after those reports appeared.

On one side, the studies' authors and others insist that legalizing the currently undocumented would produce wage increases, increase tax receipts at all levels of government, up the consumption of consumer goods and create jobs.

The other side says that is probably baloney, but even if it's true, it would still come at the expense of American citizen workers who desperately want and need at least some of the jobs now taken by illegals.

What's constructive in all this is the perspective it lends to the longtime argument over how much illegal immigration costs state and local governments or whether the undocumented actually pay their own way via sales and gasoline taxes, property taxes (included in their rent payments) and other levies, including those on utility and telephone bills.

The anti-immigrant lobby argues that illegals cost California about $7 billion per year for services like public education and emergency medical care. But some studies say they pay in more than that in the obvious

taxes — plus an unknown amount in state and federal income tax. Plus, since many use counterfeit Social Security

Not just to praise Cesar - latimes.com

Not just to praise Cesar

Cesar Chavez has been elevated to iconic status without his legacy having been critically examined.

By Miriam Pawel

Two years ago, a presidential contender touting his roots as a community organizer endorsed the idea of a national holiday to honor a legendary organizer.

"As farmworkers and laborers across America continue to struggle for fair treatment and fair wages, we find strength in what Cesar Chavez accomplished so many years ago," said Barack Obama, then on the verge of his own improbable victory. "It's time to recognize the contributions of this American icon."

An icon, according to Webster's, is "an object of uncritical devotion." And that's precisely the problem: Cesar Chavez has been elevated to iconic status, his name reverently placed on schools, streets and postage stamps, without his legacy having been critically examined.

Chavez merits an important place in the history books, as a civil rights leader, an inspiration for a generation of Chicanos and the founder of a movement that transformed thousands of lives. But the history is more complex than the hagiography, and more enlightening. His birthday, March 31, should be an occasion to educate new generations about Chavez's remarkable accomplishments, and to learn from his life in all its complexity and contradictions.

Chavez masterminded a grape boycott in which uneducated farmworkers fanned out across the country, persuaded millions of consumers to shun the fruit and forced growers to sign the first-ever labor contracts. Then he doomed the contracts by administering them poorly.

He taught workers how to exert power, then fired leaders who rose up from the fields to use their newfound power.

He brought the men and women who pick our fruits and vegetables into the public consciousness for

State considers additional sanctions for Alisal Union School District - MontereyHerald.com :

State considers additional sanctions for Alisal Union School District

Resignation, consulting fee under scrutiny

Alisal Union School District
Mar 27:
Alisal Union School District hires interim superintendent
Mar 26:
Alisal Union superintendent faces ouster
Mar 21:
Alisal school board leader defends record
Alisal tension brings police to schoolroom

In light of major changes made at Alisal Union School District last week, the California State Board of Education will meet today to consider possible additional sanctions for the district.

On Friday, the three-member Alisal board voted to accept the "voluntary resignation" of Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas, and named John Ramirez Jr. as interim superintendent through 2013.

But the state board had placed the district under a trustee March 11 — along with Greenfield Union School District — and officials expected no major changes in the district until a trustee arrived, said Executive Director Theresa Garcia.

"Sanctions are always immediate, the appointment of a trustee was immediate," Garcia said, even though a specific person was not named.

The state board's special meeting was called in response to the "major commitment of district resources prior to a specific trustee being announced," she said. "The expectations (from the state board) is that no major changes would take place until a trustee came and had the opportunity to review the district and make determinations on best use of its resources."

Having a new interim superintendent and removing Zendejas will cost the district at least $206,000 in her

Race to the Top: Do California, Florida have a chance? / The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com

Race to the Top: Do California, Florida have a chance?

The Education Department has released the scores and reviewer comments from Round 1 of the Race to the Top competition. One aim is to help states improve their applications in the next round.

On Monday, a happy Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen listens to the applause as he meets with members of the media to discuss the Race to the Top announcement at Eakin Elementary School in Nashville. Does California and Florida have a chance for Round 2?

Larry McCormack/The Tennessean/AP

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For states hoping to get a portion of the $4 billion that the federal government is offering to spur education reform, the announcement of the Round 1 winners Monday produced both guidance and questions.

Just two states – Delaware and Tennessee – were awarded grants worth $600 million total in the first round of the Race to the Top competition. That leaves the bulk of the pot (about $3.4 billion) for Round 2, which has a June 1 deadline for applications.

The similarity of the two winners’ applications has led some observers to speculate about the elements that seem most important – such as sophisticated data systems, broad buy-in from state unions and districts, and a focus on linking teacher evaluations to student gains. Observers have also questioned whether it will be possible for other states, particularly ones that are larger and more complex, to win without those elements.

Meanwhile, the Department of Education has posted all

Detroit CEO Launches Perfect Attendance Scholarships for Washington, D.C. and Oakland, California High School Seniors - Press Releases: PR Newswire: Real estate - SunHerald.com

Detroit CEO Launches Perfect Attendance Scholarships for Washington, D.C. and Oakland, California High School Seniors

DETROIT, March 31 -- /PRNewswire/ -- A Detroit real estate company's CEO, Abner McWhorter III, is awarding scholarships to District of Columbia Public Schools and California's Oakland Unified School District high school seniors who have achieved perfect attendance throughout high school. This is the first year that the scholarship opportunity has expanded nationally.

"Students are often recognized for good grades and top honors, but few are rewarded for one of the most basic building blocks of success – showing up every single day," said Detroit-based Paramount Land Holding CEO and founder Abner McWhorter III. "I want to honor that important accomplishment."

McWhorter, a 39-year-old Detroit Public Schools alumnus and CEO of the national residential and commercial real estate company Paramount Land Holding headquartered in Detroit, originally established the "Show Up to Blow Up" scholarship in 2008 for Detroit Public School high school seniors. The $4,000 scholarship pays $1,000 per year for four years of college or trade school. The award aims to recognize students who have

'Stand and Deliver' Teacher Dies Of Cancer

Jaime Escalante, the math teacher portrayed in the 1988 film "Stand and Deliver," died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, according to the actor who played him.

Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Jaime Escalante, the math teacher portrayed in the 1988 film "Stand and Deliver," died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, according to the actor who played him.
Escalante, 79, was surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren when he died at his home in Roseville, California, said Edward James Olmos.
Olmos visited Escalante's bedside Monday night, he said.
"We lost one of the true giants of education and inspiration in this country," Olmos said. "He really made us understand that it didn't matter what color, race, creed or ethnicity any of us are."
Olmos disclosed earlier this month that Escalante was "seriously ill" with cancer and needed help paying for his medical care. He held a fundraiser in Los Angeles, California, for him last week.
"Stand and Deliver" told the inspirational story of how Escalante turned the failing calculus program at Garfield High School in east Los Angeles into one of the top in the nation.
The movie depicted events of 1982 when his inner-city student's test scores were questioned by officials. Those who were retested had their passing scores reinstated.
Escalante became a hero for educators, earning him entrance to the National Teachers Hall of Fame and the Presidential Medal for Excellence in Education.
"During his tenure at Garfield High School, many of our students excelled in learning, aspired to a higher education and went on to become very successful in various careers," Los Angeles School Superintendent Ramon Cortines said. "Today, they are living testaments to a teacher who demonstrated how high expectations coupled with constant support can overcome obstacles to a quality education."
The Garfield High math program floundered after Escalante left in 1991 for a teaching job in Sacramento, California.

The Nonprofit Quarterly | Nonprofit Newswire | The Usually Vocal Palin Is Mum on Speaking Fees From Foundation

Nonprofit Newswire | The Usually Vocal Palin Is Mum on Speaking Fees From Foundation

BRUCE TRACHTENBERG

March 30, 2010; San Francisco Chronicle | Calls for increasing foundation transparency are getting an interesting push in Califorina. A state lawmaker has asked a California State University (CSU) foundation what it plans to pay Sarah Palin to speak at a $500-a-plate black-tie fundraiser at the Stanislaus campus in June.

So far, the foundation is not speaking. Matt Swanson, president of the Stanislaus Foundation, says the contract with the former vice presidential candidate won't allow him to publicly disclose her speaking fee. State Sen. Leland Yee requested information about the speaking fee as part of what the San Francisco Chronicle describes as the San Francisco lawmaker's effort to make the operations of public university foundations more transparent.

In a statement issued Monday Yee said, "At a time when students are struggling to afford an education at CSU, I would hope that spending potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars on a guest speaker for a black-tie gala would be low on the priority list." California

Core standards provoke Calif. 'math wars' - UPI.com

Core standards provoke Calif. 'math wars'

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 31 (UPI) -- As the United States prepares to adopt the first nationwide "common core" standards for publicschool students, California is divided on how best to teach math.

Proponents say the core standards would help ensure students have a firm grasp of math before moving to the next level, while opponents say the standards would set back math education in the state, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

The newspaper said the English curriculum hasn't caused a fuss, but the debate overteaching math resembles the "math wars" of the 1990s that led to repeals of reforms emphasizing problem-solving, applying knowledge and group work over traditional teaching methods.

The proposed standards would mean a step backward for some students, critics say.

Gretchen Muller, president of the northern section of the California Math Council, said, for example, students would learn multiplication in fourth grade rather than third. Others say the

S.D. School Districts Turn To Parcel Tax To Offset Education Cuts | KPBS.org

BY ANA TINTOCALIS

March 31, 2010

SAN DIEGO — Public school districts up and down California are turning to a parcel tax as way to offset deep budget cuts. It's also a way to get around Proposition 13, which capped property taxes that help fund education 32 years ago.

Enlarge this image

Photo by Ana Tintocalis

Above: Danielle Zdunich, a teacher at McKinley Elementary School, reads a book to her students, March 2010.

Enlarge this image

Photo by Ana Tintocalis

Above: Megan Caluza is a special education teacher in the San Francisco Unified School District. The district’s parcel tax helps boost her overall salary every year.

Danielle Zdunich is a first grade teacher at McKinley Elementary in San Diego. She says this year her class size has nearly doubled.

“Last year I had 12 kids in my class so I was able to space them out a little more and give them a bit more distance between one another,” Zdunich said. “This year they're crammed in there.”

Deep budget cuts have forced the district to add more students to almost every class, in every grade. Teachers say they can't give students individualized attention and the crowded classrooms create too many distractions.

Sandy Mattson's 8-year-old daughter goes to McKinley. She says teachers are really struggling.

“More and more of their energy goes into that classroom management and I hear my daughter talking more about who got in trouble today versus what they were learning that day,” Mattson said.

San Diego district officials say a parcel tax could help.

A parcel tax levies a flat fee for every parcel of land a resident owns

Report: Schwarzenegger would make deep cuts in school budgets Central Valley Business Times

Central Valley Business Times

Report: Schwarzenegger would make deep cuts in school budgets

• Governor’s proposed budget cuts $432 per pupil

• Valley cuts range from $67.5 Million to $4 Million

• UPDATED with comments from governor's office

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed 2010-2011 state budget would cut funding for K-12 education by $2.7 billion -- a reduction of an average of $432 per student, according to a report Tuesday by the nonpartisan California Budget Project.

In the Central Valley, the cuts in state funding would be as high as $67.5 million to districts in Sacramento County to a low of just over $4 million in Yuba County.

Here are the estimate cuts to Central Valley counties, according to CBP’s analysis:

• Butte: $9,121,000 or $321 per student

• Fresno: $55,274,000 or $315 per student

• Kern: $56,942,000 or $353 per student

• Kings: $8,025,000 or $332 per student

• Madera: $8,931,000 or $330 per students

• Merced: $17,759,000 or $338 per student

• Sacramento: $67,593,000 or $322 per student

• San Joaquin: $39,198,000 or $320 per student

• Stanislaus: $30,312,000 or $319 per student

• Tulare: $28,862,000 or $323 per student

• Yolo: $8,868,000 or $319 per student

• Yuba: $4,019,000 or $327 per student

The largest cuts per student are in Alpine County at $1,453. The least

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Wednesday, March 31, 2010