Saturday, May 15, 2010

NorthJersey.com: Bergen County school board member will lead NJSBA

Bergen County school board member will lead NJSBA

Saturday, May 15, 2010
LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY MAY 15, 2010, 5:15 PM

BY MONSY ALVARADO

WIRE SERVICE

Staff Writer

0 Comments

A long-time school-board member in Bergen County was elected president Saturday of the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Raymond R. Wiss, who has been a member of the Northern Valley Regional Board of Education since 2001, won the two-year term during the organization's semi-annual meeting in Plainsboro, which was attended by about 170 delegates representing the state's 21 counties.
He previously served on the Old Tappan school board for seven years. He was also mayor of the borough from 1996 to 2000.
Wiss said among the challenges he would be facing are the reductions in state aid and its impact on local school districts statewide. He said the organization would continue to advocate for public education and the children it serves.
"Never has there been a time period when there is so much legislation that is directly impacting on children and public education," he said. "The key right now is that as the new leadership is assembled, we assess our priorities, reach out to board members, and take those ideas and be proactive rather than reactive in setting our goals and objectives for public education."

Police Squeeze University of Puerto Rico Student Strikers � Student Activism

Police Squeeze University of Puerto Rico Student Strikers

by Angus Johnston

Police tried to gain access to the University of Puerto Rico, now in its 25th day of student occupation, before dawn on Friday, cutting through the locked gates of the campus’s main entrance.
Students rushed to defend the gates, and the police withdrew, but they later set up a perimeter around the campus, refusing to allow or supplies to be brought in.
The police escalation of the standoff came one day after a mass meeting attended by more than two thousand people voted to continue the strike indefinitely.

Childhood, Disability, and Public Space � Student Activism

Childhood, Disability, and Public Space

by Angus Johnston

There’s been a flareup in the feminist blogosphere in the last couple of days of a long-running argument about childhood misbehavior and the social obligations of parents. In a thread over at Feministe, several people, on both sides of the debate, analogized childhood to disability, arguing about whether and how kids’ behavior in public spaces can be compared to that of adults with disabilities.
So I’d like to talk a little about the relationship between childhood and disability today. It’s a subject that I have some familiarity with, and it’s one that has relevance to both children’s rights and disability activism — two topics this blog has addressed in the past.
People who dislike children (not people who aren’t into having kids of their own, or people who are uninterested in kids, or people who are annoyed by bad parents — people who dislike children) tend to have a recurring constellation of complaints about them. For instance:
They’re dirty. They touch everything. They’ve got no social skills. They’ve got no regard for personal space. They’re loud. They say inappropriate things. They do inappropriate things. They’re creepy. They’re demanding.

NorthJersey.com: Digitally distracted: Hours spent wired changing how kids think and interact

Digitally distracted: Hours spent wired changing how kids think and interact

Saturday, May 15, 2010
LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY MAY 15, 2010, 11:59 AM

BY DENISA R. SUPERVILLE

THE RECORD

STAFF WRITER

Josh Walker has access to a laptop 24-7 as part of the Pascack Valley Regional High School district's one-to-one laptop program.

Dr. Tom J. Kersting spoke to faculty and parents at Holdrum Middle School in River Vale about digital disruption. Kersting stated that youngsters who are constantly texting and playing video games are in danger of not developing the social skills that the generation before did by interacting face to face.

KEVIN R. WEXLER / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Dr. Tom J. Kersting spoke to faculty and parents at Holdrum Middle School in River Vale about digital disruption. Kersting stated that youngsters who are constantly texting and playing video games are in danger of not developing the social skills that the generation before did by interacting face to face.

"The pluses are that you get to have all your notes in one place — on your computer — where you can access them," the 16-year-old said. "You can Google basically anything — and that's also one of the disadvantages. It could distract you from doing your homework."
For the generation born after 1980 — the so-called Millennial Generation — being wired and connected is second nature.
A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation released in January found that daily media use among young people had risen to seven hours, 38 minutes a day. According to the researchers, that number is more like 10 hours and 45 minutes when the time spent multi-tasking — using more than one medium at the same time, such as texting while listening to an iPod — is included.
"That's more than a full-time job — and that's seven days a week, not five," said Tom Kersting, a student assistance coordinator at Indian Hills High School and a psychotherapist in private practice in Ridgewood. He recently presented a seminar on being "Digitally Distracted" at River Vale public schools. He spoke on the same topic Thursday at Indian Hills High School.
Another study released in February by the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project found that three-quarters of teens have cellphones, including 58 percent of

Schools Matter: Remind Governor Ritter to Be a Real Leader and Not a Follower of Ideology

Remind Governor Ritter to Be a Real Leader and Not a Follower of Ideology

by Jim Horn



136 State Capitol, Denver, CO 80203 \| (303) 866-2471

(Please feel free to copy and paste the letter below).

May 15, 2010

Dear Governor Ritter:

As Governor we know that you have earned the reputation of leading the nation in cutting edge ways. Please be a fearless leader again by choosing to be the first governor to use scientific evidence and the best scientific opinion to "just say no" to the dangerous and undocumented education bill, SB 191, which was passed by the Colorado legislature last week with no evidence or testing to show that the policy therein will do more good than harm.

An important report has just been issued by the National Academy of Education. Please have your staffers read it, and then ask them if SB 191 satisfies the major or minor concerns of the National Academy and the National Research Council regarding the use of value added testing models to make high stake decisions regarding teacher evaluations. If it does not, please veto SB 191. If it does, we encourage you to sign quickly.

Be the first governor in a long time to put science ahead of ideology, while protecting the taxpayers in your state from the lawsuits that are sure to filed in the event that SB 191 becomes law. Now that would be a real leader!

Respectfully,

Jim Horn

Halting Teacher Cuts: Big Victory in Los Angeles

by Jim Horn

Mike Klonsky has links and details.

ED 667: Module One Reflection | Reflections on Teaching

Education Technology: Where Does It Live?

by alicemercer

This post was part of an assignment for my class on being a technology coordinator. Your comments and feedback are welcome.

Where does it live? This question comes from Chris Lehmann, a well know educator in education technology circles. He is principal at Philadelphia’s Science Leadership Academy. After going through the assigned readings, looking at job descriptions, and thinking about my own district, that was the question that popped into my mind.

Educational ideas only have lasting power if they exist within the systems and structures of institutions that claim them. Everything — every system, every policy, every structure — in schools represent a pedagogical choice, and we don’t take advantage of that. The classes we choose to schedule, the length of the classes, the times they meet — every possible permutation privileges certain kinds of learning and 667: Module One Reflection

by alicemercer

How different or similar is the job compared to your previous perceptions of the job?
What do you think is the most challenging aspect of the job?

The thing that struck me is just how differently the responsibilities could be depending on how the position is approached, and how it can exist at different “levels” within a district.
The text, The Technology Coordinators Handbook, described the position for a district at of my size as having fewer IT support responsibilities, more employees under them, a greater focus on curriculum, but they are a team leader, and at a mid-level in the district both developing and implementing policy. In smaller districts, as is true generally, you end up wearing more hats, may have more IT responsibilities, and obviously fewer employees working under you to support what you do.
The Technology Coordinators Handbook from Pinellas County Schools took it from a completely different perspective. Although a very large district (~150,000 students), they appear to have “pushed” the position down to the site level. That means that like at a small district, the person wears many hats, and does not have

Speaker P�rez: Assembly will Focus on How Budget Impacts Jobs | California Progress Report

Speaker Pérez: Assembly will Focus on How Budget Impacts Jobs

by kaldveer

By Assemblyman John Perez
SACRAMENTO – In this Democratic weekly address, Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) says the Assembly is looking closely at how measures included in the Governor’s May Revise budget proposal would impact jobs for Californians. The Speaker discusses how the Assembly’s budget solutions will be focused on creating and saving jobs and be developed in an open, transparent way that encourages public participation.
Click onto the following link for the English language MP3 file. The running time is 2:05.
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/Newsline/Audio/20100514RadioAddressEngl...
Click onto the following link for the Spanish language MP3 file. The running time is 3:12.
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/Newsline/Audio/20100514RadioAddressSpan...
Website of Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez: www.asmdc.org/speaker
Transcript:
Hello, this is Assembly Speaker John Pérez.
read more

Saturday coffee. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Saturday coffee.

by preaprez

Happy Birthday Studs.

Tomorrow, May 16th, is Studs Terkel’s 98th birthday. Studs died in 2008.

Tonight on his radio station, WFMT, his old colleague, Sydney Lewis, has put together a program,Working With Studs.

When I arrived in Chicago in 1973 there were two radio programs that were required listening and both were on WFMT, the classical music station. Ironically, neither program involved classical music.

In the morning, every day, Studs would do a one hour mostly interview show. Although there was rarely an interview. It was definitely a conversation and often Studs was more interesting than the person he was interviewing.

On Saturday nights, Anne and I would listen, often in the dark, to the Midnight Special, a mostly folk music program with some British comedy recordings thrown in. We never understood what was funny about the British comedy bits, even on those rare occasions when we understood what they were saying.

If you haven’t already done it, sign the petition.

The Responsible Budget Coalition

Old school. Fred Klonsky's blog

Fred Klonsky's blog

Old school.

Obama breaks with Reformers on jobs bill.

MAY 14, 2010

Duncan’s claim to “zero opposition” is challenged at home.

MAY 14, 2010

Sarah pulls in the bucks and slams Highland Park High School basketball.

MAY 13, 2010

Student’s Arrest Tests Immigration Policy Education News - The New York Times

Education News - The New York Times

Student’s Arrest Tests Immigration Policy

By ROBBIE BROWN

Kate Brumback/Associated Press

Jessica Colotl speaking Friday at a news conference in Atlanta after being released on bail.

A college student who is an illegal immigrant has unwittingly provided the latest test of whether local officials should be enforcing federal immigration law.

Citing Individualism, Arizona Tries to Rein in Ethnic Studies in School

By TAMAR LEWIN

Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona has once again upset the state’s large Hispanic population, signing a bill aimed at ending ethnic studies in the Tucson schools.

Matthew Goldstein, chancellor of the City University of New York, at an Albany hearing in January. In his 11 years in the job, Dr. Goldstein's base pay has risen to $490,000 from $250,000.

Growth of CUNY Chancellor’s Salary Outpaces Rise in Faculty’s Pay

By LISA W. FODERARO

In his 11 years as chancellor, Matthew Goldstein’s base pay has grown to $490,000 from $250,000, bringing criticism from the professors’ union president.

Times Topics: Matthew Goldstein

Elena Kagan's time at Harvard is under debate. Ms. Kagan, right, visited Senator Susan Collins on Capitol Hill on Thursday.

Nominee Scrutinized for Hiring on Race

By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Critics say that Elena Kagan did not create enough racial diversity at Harvard, and her supporters counter that she demonstrated a commitment to equality.

California: Attention, Parents of School Truants, State Senators Have Turned Their Eyes to You

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The California Senate passed a bill on Thursday under which the State would hold parents responsible if their children regularly skipped school.

SPORTS OF THE TIMES

Kenny Anderson played for Georgia Tech before becoming an N.B.A. vagabond. He now lives in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Education of a Point Guard Comes Full Circle

By GEORGE VECSEY

Nineteen years after leaving Georgia Tech for a career in the N.B.A., Kenny Anderson is about to earn a college degree.

Franklin K. Lane Campus High School’s Francisco Rojas threw 109 pitches during a 3-0 loss Tuesday.

New York High School League Is Posting Pitch Counts

By HARVEY ARATON and ANDREW KEH

Whether the number of pitches that a teenage boy is allowed to throw should be left to trust or should be a matter of prescribed rule has become the subject of intense debate.

ADVERTISING

A Digital Boot Camp to Groom Talent for Agencies

By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD

A new program at the University of Colorado, Boulder, called Boulder Digital Works focuses on creativity and technical skills for new media.

Minority student activists protest education cuts - USATODAY.com

Minority student activists protest education cuts

Posted 17h 50m ago | Comments 39 | Recommend 2


Enlarge	By Chris Carlson, AP

Student activist Jesse Cheng at the University of California, Irvine, is part of a growing movement of minority students rallying around a new cause -- fighting a budget crisis that's undermining access to higher education at a time when students of color have become a stronger demographic force.

IRVINE, Calif. — If campus activism still brings to mind peace signs, a sea of white faces and liberal strongholds like Berkeley, meet Jesse Cheng.By Eric Gorski, The Associated Press

Cheng is a third-year Asian-American studies major at the University of California, Irvine, a campus less than five decades old in the middle of Orange County, a place of strip malls and subdivisions that gave birth to the ultraconservative John Birch Society.

Comfortable talking with both administrators and anarchists, Cheng is a presence at protests but avoids getting arrested. He doesn't want to put his graduation at risk or upset his mother, who worked hard to get him here and worries for his safety because she witnessed what happened to dissidents in her native China.