Let Your Voice Be Heard! Women's Conference

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

05/21/10 | The California Commission on the Status of Women | 0 Comments

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If you are a woman living in California, here's your chance to be heard -- and to have an impact on future legislation. The California Commission on the Status of Women will hold three public hearings to provide a forum for individuals and organizations to voice their opinions and talk about real problems faced by women and girls every day. Information from the hearings will help determine the Commission’s legislative agenda, recommendations for administrative action and studies on issues impacting women and girls.

Issues for testimony include, but are not limited to: State Budget Cuts, Reproductive Freedom, Paid Family Leave, Child Support, Child Care, Human Trafficking and more.

We look forward to hearing from people throughout the state who have ideas about how we can help improve the lives of women and girls. Information obtained from the hearings will assist in the Commission's ongoing work to achieve equal opportunities for all women and girls.

Sign up to testify by June 3rd!

FreeRangeKids What Might Happen If You Let Your Kid Play Outside, Alone?

FreeRangeKids

What Might Happen If You Let Your Kid Play Outside, Alone?

Posted on May 22, 2010 by lskenazy

Hi Readers! In response to my downer about dealing with a tsunami of media “What If?”s, here’s one woman’s note answer to: What happens when you, with some slight hesitation, let your child go outside on her own?

Dear Lenore: I understand your anxiety, and can only join the chorus of those saying please, please don’t give up. Your book has SIGNIFICANTLY changed our family for the better, and we were already what I called “half-range” to begin with!

My daughter (10) has been riding her bike to school for a month now, with buddies, but no adult. It started out with just her wanting to and me saying yes, which traveled through the grapevine and triggered a flood of calls from the other moms. “Are you REALLY allowing this? Are you nuts? What if this/that? But but but…” And many conversations and several holes bitten through my tongue later, we have 4 regular riders and many more that, although they aren’t allowed on the school ride, are allowed a wider radius of the neighborhood for riding.

The whole pack of them roam the neighborhood after school and on the weekends, with no adults around. They’re all still alive and well, some of the moms have relaxed

Politics blog: Texas restores Thomas Jefferson to social studies curriculum | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Politics blog: Texas restores Thomas Jefferson to social studies curriculum | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News| Latest News

Politics blog: Texas restores Thomas Jefferson to social studies curriculum

02:30 PM CDT on Friday, May 21, 2010

Burned by very bad publicity, social conservatives on Texas State Board of Education scrambled to undo an earlier vote to delete Thomas Jefferson from a list of influential political thinkers in world history.

After renewed debate today, the board reinserted Jefferson (but not James Madison, who didn't the cut) in the world history curriculum.

The deletion of Jefferson -- whose separation of church-state philosophy doesn't get high marks among Christian conservatives -- sparked a flurry of criticism on cable TV, where some pundits held the board up to ridicule.

So today, as the board prepared to vote on the final social study curricula standards, members put Jefferson back on the list of writers including John Locke, Thomas Acquinas and William Blackstone.

Hechinger Report | Q&A: Senator Mike Johnston says we need great principals and teachers ‘in every school’

Hechinger Report | Q&A: Senator Mike Johnston says we need great principals and teachers ‘in every school’

Q&A: Senator Mike Johnston says we need great principals and teachers ‘in every school’

by Hechinger Report

Introduction: State Senator Mike Johnston was influential in pushing a new teacher effectiveness bill signed into law in the state of Colorado last week after weeks of drama and controversy. The law ties teacher and principal evaluations to student academic growth and it changes the way teachers are granted tenure.
Johnson, a former high school principal and Yale educated lawyer, served as an education policy advisor to President Barack Obama before he became a state senator in Colorado just one year ago. The bill is being hailed as a model by education reformers, but it created rifts in the Democratic party and teachers unions in Colorado and led to everything from protests to tears.
Under the new law, a governor’s council will now define what makes an effective teacher and principal and will

It’s “Happening”: another union ad about schools | GothamSchools

It’s “Happening”: another union ad about schools | GothamSchools

It’s “Happening”: another union ad about schools

by Anna Phillips

Just in case there weren’t enough school-themed ads playing on your TV, the city’s teachers union is debuting one tomorrow.

Called “Happening,” it urges viewers to ignore that pro-charter school ad they likely sat through only seconds before and focus on the budget cut-induced chaos that will befall their local schools. Larger class sizes, no after school programs, and teacher layoffs form the three pillars of disaster, according to the ad.

Included in the ad is a TV spot being run by Education Reform Now — a coalition of pro-charter school groups who are simultaneously pushing a charter cap lift and an end to seniority based layoffs. The UFT’s own ad labels this group the “blame the teachers crowd” and taps into some anti-Wall Street sentiment by noting there are

For a 17-year-old cancer survivor, school became a sanctuary

by Maura Walz

Karina Melendez, 17, junior at Bronx High School for Law and Finance

This is the second in a series of profiles of college-bound student recipients of scholarships administered by New Visions for Public Schools.
Last month, the principal of the Bronx School of Law and Finance, Evan Schwartz, called junior Karina Melendez to his office, but he didn’t tell her why.
Schwartz had a happy surprise, something that Melendez had long stopped expecting. She had survived bone 

District investigating mishandling of public money at Portland's Jefferson High | OregonLive.com

District investigating mishandling of public money at Portland's Jefferson High | OregonLive.com

District investigating mishandling of public money at Portland's Jefferson High

By Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian

May 21, 2010, 11:11AM

Portland school district officials are investigating possible mishandling of money at Jefferson High School and have placed the principal and business manager on paid leave after a routine audit of a $200,000 account managed by the school found chronic sloppiness in spending, contracts and receipts.

Matt Shelby, spokesman for the school district, said today that when the school district's auditor conducted the routine review this spring, she "found enough red flags" that she notified district leaders, who "then decided to widen their scope and look at other accounts."

As reported Thursday, Jefferson Principal Cynthia Harris and school business manager Reis Wilbanks have both been put on paid administrative leave. Deputy Superintendent Toni Hunter has been put in charge of the school. Neither Harris nor Wilbanks could be reached for comment.

In her report to district leaders, auditor Amoy Williamson wrote that

School Funding Lawsuit - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

School Funding Lawsuit - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Issues Statement
in Support of School Funding Lawsuit Filed Today

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement in support of a lawsuit (Robles-Wong, et al. v. California , Outside Source) filed against the State of California by students, districts, school boards, and school administrators:

"California students are the victims of broken budget promises and a broken school funding system. I applaud this effort to align appropriate funding for our public education with our goal of educating students to master our rigorous academic standards. Budget discussions about schools in California have for too long been a one-sided conversation about how to stretch dwindling resources. This lawsuit now forces a conversation we must have about actually meeting the needs of our students.

"According to the Legislative Analyst's recent analysis (Outside Source) on per capita real general fund spending in the Governor's proposed May budget revision, 'the level of spending proposed by the administration would continue the recent drop in state spending, as adjusted for growth in population and inflation. In 2010–11, the inflation adjusted per capita spending level would be similar to that of 1993–94 — also a low point due to a recession.'

"California is failing to fund programs and resources students need to thrive and compete in a competitive global economy. Class sizes are growing. Summer school, arts, music, librarians, nurses, and counselors, have been cut. The school year at many districts has been reduced. For years, our teachers, administrators, and especially our students have been doing more with less. A growing number of California districts face financial insolvency, and California finds itself near the bottom nationally in per pupil funding.

"A well educated population is the key to California's successful future. We urgently need to prioritize this responsibility to our students and future generations. If the political will to protect our future is faltering, perhaps this lawsuit and the courts will be the catalyst to meet our obligation to the more than six million students in our state."

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Schools Matter: The Tea Party's Great White Dope

Schools Matter: The Tea Party's Great White Dope

The Tea Party's Great White Dope

by Jim Horn

From Sam Stein at HuffPo:

In attempting to close the book on his controversial statements about the scope of the Civil Rights Act, Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul invited another round of intrigue and critique on an entirely unrelated front.

The Tea Party favorite, in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday morning, accused the Obama administration of being too tough on BP -- the oil company directly responsible for the massive spill in the Gulf.

"What I don't like from the president's administration is this sort of 'I'll put my

Advocacy: Teacherpocalypse 2010 Continues This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Advocacy: Teacherpocalypse 2010 Continues

by Alexander Russo

Arne Duncan on Teacher Evaluations and Saving Jobs in a Recession NPR: Duncan says he worries about summer school disappearing, teachers being laid off and school days being cut and that there's a lot of work to be done...U.S. schools chief: We're in 'educational emergency' CNN: Soledad O'Brien talked with the top school official in the nation, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, about the ties between the economy and schools, the state of

Hill: Jockeying For Position On ESEA & Campaign 2010

by Alexander Russo

Dem Challenges Administration On School Turnarounds National Journal: Rep. Chu's efforts come on the heels of the decision to rehire all of the teachers at Central Falls High School in Rhode Island... Alexander to GOP: Step it up - Mike Allen Politico: Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, says he’d “like to see Republicans step up on education more” if they win the majority

AM News: Detroit, Denver, and DC Lead The Way

by Alexander Russo

In Detroit Schools, State Takeover Leads to Leadership Dispute PBS: A report on the progress of Detroit's public school system, following last year's tumultuous takeover by the state of Michigan, following allegations of corruption, a $316 million hole in its budget and tumbling enrollment... A Rougher Road to Tenure NYT: Gov. Bill Ritter Jr. signed a law on Thursday that will make it more difficult for teachers to get tenure and will require that at least half of their annual evaluation be determined by the academic growth of their students... Report: D.C. schools make most significant reading gains among urban systems Washington Post: A federal study of trends in 11 major urban school systems shows that only one has made significant gains in reading achievement since 2007 in fourth and eighth grades: D.C. Public Schools.

The Educated Reporter: How many PhDs’ children go to your urban public schools?

The Educated Reporter: How many PhDs’ children go to your urban public schools?

How many PhDs’ children go to your urban public schools?

by Linda Perlstein

2 people liked this

When finalists were announced for the 2010 Broad Prize for Urban Education, I did not give much though to the inclusion of Montgomery County, Md. I did not give much thought to any of the finalists, really. But today I saw the video on the Montgomery County Public Schools website—I covered MCPS for the Post years ago and check in there from time to time—that highlighted the Broad visit and couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the officials at Julius West Middle School. Julius West is a couple of miles from one of the most affluent communities on earth. Heard of Potomac? Not what I would call “urban.”

Yes, there are swaths of poverty in the county, and lots of new immigrants. But Montgomery County has the

Will Some States Get Jobbed by EduJobs Bill? | Intercepts

Will Some States Get Jobbed by EduJobs Bill? | Intercepts

Will Some States Get Jobbed by EduJobs Bill?

by Mike Antonucci

It’s probably futile to try to apply some precision to a number that was pulled out of a hat, but a story in yesterday’s Boston Globe has – well, let’s call it an “anomaly.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was giving a commencement address in Boston, and this was theGlobe’s lede:

US Education Secretary Arne Duncan warned yesterday that as many as 300,000 teachers nationwide, including 4,000 teachers in Massachusetts, could lose their jobs this year if Congress does not provide additional money to aid struggling states and municipalities.

Three paragraphs later, we get this:

He urged Congress to pass a pending $23 billion education and jobs bill that he said would save or

Eduflack: Are Our High Schools Becoming Glee-ful?

Eduflack: Are Our High Schools Becoming Glee-ful?

Are Our High Schools Becoming Glee-ful?

by Eduflack

I'll admit it, I'm a Gleek. I love the Fox show, Glee. I've taken the Facebook quiz (and learned I am most like Rachel). I posted last fall's Single Ladies/football scene to my FB page, I loved this week's Les Miz nod, and I'm even looking forward to next week's Lady Gaga homage. I even have a running list of those songs and/or performers I want to see covered by the Glee kids.

And it doesn't appear that I am alone. The number of Gleeks out there seems to be increasing exponentially, and many of them are surprises (I'm guessing a few will be surprised that Eduflack is such a fan). After a year, we are reminded of the enormous value of a high school glee club, the role music can play in student development, self-esteem, and other qualitative measures we expect to see from our schools. So it begs the question, is Glee having any impact on school budgets and priorities?

Hub students outscore peers in large cities - The Boston Globe

Hub students outscore peers in large cities - The Boston Globe

Hub students outscore peers in large cities

Fourth, eighth grades shine in ’09 national reading test

By James Vaznis

Globe Staff / May 21, 2010

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Boston’s fourth- and eighth-graders outscored their peers in most large cities on a national reading test last year, according to a report released yesterday by the US Education Department.

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Boston’s eighth-graders scored an average of 257 points on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam, surpassed only by Austin, Texas; Miami-Dade; Charlotte, N.C., and Jefferson County, Ky. The average score among eighth-graders for the 18 large cities in the report was 252.

Fourth-graders in the Hub were topped by students in five other cities: New York City, Charlotte, Miami-Dade, Austin, and Jefferson County, Ky., according to the Nation’s Report Card report. Boston’s fourth-graders scored an average of 215

First lady's questioner wants White House visit

by Kathleen Miller, Associated Press Writer

A second-grader who sprung a question on first lady Michelle Obama about immigration said Thursday she'd like to visit the White House.

Cops: Conn. high school coach gave students vodka

A Connecticut girls basketball coach was charged with giving alcohol to students before a school dance. Jennifer Jackson, 32, a coach and teacher at Pomperaug High School was charged Wednesday with delivering alcohol to minors and reckless endangerment.

Education Week: Education Groups Set Forth Principles for TIF

Education Week: Education Groups Set Forth Principles for TIF

Education Groups Set Forth Principles for TIF

Guidelines by teachers', administrators', and school boards' groups follow the announcement of new federal funding for performance pay. (May 20, 2010)

Common-Standards Draft Excludes ELL Proficiency

The two national groups leading the effort plan to leave it up to states to craft their own English-proficiency standards. (May 20, 2010)

Studies Probe 'Ecology' of Bullying

(May 18, 2010) | Comments (3)

Conservatives Make Changes to Texas Curriculum

(May 21, 2010)

UPDATED

Suit Would Overhaul Calif. School Finance System

(May 20, 2010)

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