PG&E Customers Killed Prop 16 | California Progress Report

PG&E Customers Killed Prop 16 | California Progress Report

PG&E Customers Killed Prop 16

by christine

By Richard Holober
Consumer Federation of California
It was a long night of watching election returns. I was at an election night party with scores of labor and community activist at an IBEW hall. That’s right - construction electrician locals OPPOSED PG&E’s Prop 16. We were all waiting to see if PG&E’s early lead would dissolve.

It was after midnight when Prop 16 dropped below 50% on its way to the final count: 47.5% Yes to 52.5% No.
PG&E spent $46 million of its ratepayer dollars on Prop 16 to make sure our electric rates remain high, without asking the consent of its ratepayers. PG&E spent those dollars try to convince ratepayers that elected local officials shouldn’t enter into any cost saving direct purchasing arrangements with electricity generating companies unless the government agency first received the approval of two-thirds of local voters. Maybe PG&E couldn’t see its double standard, but voters certainly did.
read more

LAUSD Still Wishing We Would Go Away... - Perdaily.com

LAUSD Still Wishing We Would Go Away... - Perdaily.com

LAUSD Still Wishing We Would Go Away...

by Leonard

In plumbing the depths of ignorance at LAUSD, I am always surprised when I realize that I have come no where near the bottom of their self-inflicted stupidity. In the never ending soap opera that is my daily interaction with LAUSD's staff as much as I should have learned by now that they have no shame and will say anything, I still have a difficult time having such a low expectation of people who should be my colleagues in furthering the

We read the Race to the Top application so you don’t have to | GothamSchools

We read the Race to the Top application so you don’t have to | GothamSchools

We read the Race to the Top application so you don’t have to

by Maura Walz

Raise your hand if you know what the state’s 450-page Race to the Top application actually says. Besides, of course, “We raised the cap on charter schools and came up with a new way to evaluate teachers.”
Here’s a quick-and-dirty guide to what the application actually proposes, including some details about the proposal that I hadn’t heard before I read it. The application is divided into four main goals. You can find more background on Race to the Top here.
Making better tests and curriculum:
National reading and math curriculum standards are coming, and New York education officials plan to opt in to them. The state wants to spend $26 million to write curriculum based on the new standards, which will show up in classrooms beginning in February 2012. Another $40 million would be used to create new tests, including a way to judge kindergartners through third-graders’ progress in learning to read. Students would start to take

Hechinger Report | Interactive: Academic standards are all over the map

Hechinger Report | Interactive: Academic standards are all over the map

Interactive: Academic standards are all over the map

by Sarah Butrymowicz

From who the president is to how to tell time, what you’re expected to learn in school each year depends on where you live in the U.S.
South Dakota’s second-graders are supposed to learn how to tell time to the minute. In Alaska, students might be forgiven for being late – they aren’t required to learn how to tell time to the minute until fifth grade.
Academic standards range widely across the country for even the simplest set of facts. Such disparities are one reason why 48 states jointly developed a set of common standards, which seek to provide a single, clear definition of what should be taught in English and math in America’s public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. The common standards, released on June 2nd, are also intended to better prepare U.S. children for

Improving the District, step by step…Ending the Cycle of Violence � SCUSD Observer

Improving the District, step by step…Ending the Cycle of Violence � SCUSD Observer

SCUSD Observer

Improving the District, step by step…Ending the Cycle of Violence

leave a comment »

On April 25, 2010, Marcos Breton of the Sacramento Bee wrote a chilling article about the death of teenager Rebecca Layson at the hands of her boyfriend. The article focused on the issue of domestic violence. Rebecca was the third woman in her family, after her mother and grandmother, who was also murdered by her boyfriend, to be involved in an abusive relationship.

Three generations of abuse is too much. In my job, I often see the disarray and pain that abusive relationships cause families. Often going unreported, abusive relationships silently affect not only the person suffering the abuse, but the children who often witness the violence as well. We as a community must do more to stop this cycle of violence and tragedies like Rebecca’s death.

As a board member, I would ask the Superintendent to implement a curriculum designed around recognizing, educating, and ending domestic violence. A local higher education institution, such as Sacramento State University, in conjunction with the district, could design this curriculum if one has not been already finalized. The design would not be cost prohibitive given the obvious need and benefits such a program would have for our children. Also, this curriculum fits appropriately with the curriculum, programs, and policies already in place regarding the issue of bullying.

A few tenets should guide the curriculum. First, students need the tools to recognize abuse. Although sometimes self-evident, abusive relationships can take on a number of different qualities and contexts. This type of conduct must be categorized separate and apart from other behaviors and school children taught to recognize it as such. Second, students should be taught that abuse, in any form, is unacceptable behavior. Third, strategies to proactively manage relationships, emotions and behaviors should be taught. Ending the cycle of violence must be stressed. These principals are not, of course, an exhaustive list and I would defer to the experts in crafting a more detailed, nuanced and engaging curriculum. But my direct experience mentoring neglected and abused children in our community does shed some light onto how the district should tackle this

Education news - Boston Globe - MCAS results - latest education news - Boston.com

Education news - Boston Globe - MCAS results - latest education news - Boston.com

Colo. colleges given flexibility to raise tuition

By Steven K. Paulson

Associated Press Writer / June 9, 2010

• E-mail|
• Print|
• Yahoo! Buzz|
• ShareThis

Text size – +

DENVER—Calling it a stopgap measure to save higher education, Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill Wednesday giving Colorado colleges more flexibility to set tuition rates.

	Discuss
	COMMENTS (0)

He also signed a measure providing $35 million to help lower- and middle-income students with tuition.

"Higher education has reached a funding crossroad here in Colorado and many states across the country. We face serious challenges if we do nothing. This is not a long-term fix; this is not a panacea," Ritter said as college presidents and lawmakers joined him in his office.

Lawmakers say the legislation was necessary because the state plans to cut college funding by $300 million next year to cover a projected $1.7 billion budget deficit.

Colleges were notified they should plan for up to a 50 percent cut next year in

ATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

• Man accused of duping Harvard got into Stanford (AP, 2:08 p.m.)
• Man accused of duping Harvard got into Stanford (AP, 2:08 p.m.)
• Job outlook brightens for new grads -- just barely (AP, 4:19 p.m.)
• Colo. colleges given flexibility to raise tuition (AP, 1:29 p.m.)
• 2-year Wis. colleges seek to offer 4-year degrees (AP, 1:24 p.m.)

LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS

• Conn. man arraigned on NYC class-trip sex charges(AP, 6/8/10)
• Dem candidate Lamont offers plan for Conn. cities (AP, 6/8/10)
• Pa. district teachers set to strike for 2nd time (AP, 6/8/10)
• Man who posed as Texas student faces 6 felonies (AP, 6/8/10)
• NY teen charged in 2nd plot on his old high school (AP, 6/8/10)

D.C. Wire - Ex-Board of Education chief: Gray or Rhee is a bogus choice

D.C. Wire - Ex-Board of Education chief: Gray or Rhee is a bogus choice

Ex-Board of Education chief: Gray or Rhee is a bogus choice

(Cross-posted from Bill Turque's D.C. Schools blog)

As expected, former D.C. State Board of Education president Lisa Raymond, who scuffled with Mayor Adrian M. Fenty over budget and policy issues, has endorsed Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray in the Sept. 14 primary. In a statement that went out Tuesday night to parents and activists in Ward 6 (which she represented on the panel), she took a shot at the Fenty camp for pushing the scenario that has Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee resigning if Gray is elected.

"I know that some of you are afraid that if Vince Gray is elected mayor, Chancellor Rhee will leave, and all of the tremendous movement we have seen in our schools would depart with her. Well, I am among the growing chorus of parents and others who care deeply about education and say that I support both Vince Gray for mayor and Michelle Rhee for chancellor," Raymond said.

"I reject this notion -- and let's not kid ourselves, it's coming directly from Mayor Fenty and his team, who have the most to lose -- that I have to choose between the person that I think is best qualified to lead our city and the best person to lead our school system."

Rhee, appointed by Fenty three years ago this week, has refused to say publicly whether she would serve in a Gray administration if asked. Gray has not committed to keeping her if he wins. Raymond said she hopes they would find a way to work together.

"I would never presume to speak for Vince Gray or Michelle Rhee, but I

Sen. Bennet's Mysterious Teacher Bill - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Sen. Bennet's Mysterious Teacher Bill - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Sen. Bennet's Mysterious Teacher Bill

by Stephen Sawchuk

Over at Politics K-12, Alyson Klein has a very interesting item up about Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who recently introduced a school-turnaround bill. While some folks are pouring over that, though, here In the teacher-quality universe the question on the table is: What the heck happened to Bennet's teacher bill?
For months, the senator was said to be working on a teacher-quality bill that would not doubt have generated a lot of attention, given his closeness to the current administration on education issues. As the former superintendent in Denver, he's also had a lot of experience working with teachers.
For now, this bill seems to be on the backburner. Alyson surmises, that may be because of his precarious position in the upcoming elections and a desire to avoid tension with core constituencies like teachers' unions.

Outstanding and improved students honored at Capitol - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Outstanding and improved students honored at Capitol - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Outstanding and improved students honored at Capitol

by mgutierrez@sacbee.com (Melody Gutierrez)

More than 150 local students will be honored by Senate President Pro Tem Darrel Steinberg at 5:30 tonight in a ceremony at the State Capitol.
High school and middle school graduates were nominated as "Most Improved" and "Most Outstanding" by their Sacramento area schools for the graduation event.
Nominees were selected based on achievements in academics, athletics, community service, leadership and music and art.
"This is the most personally rewarding event I attend each year," Steinberg said. "It is inspirational to hear each student's story of determination and work ethic."

Technology: Black Hat Or White Hat? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

Technology: Black Hat Or White Hat? - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.:

Technology: Black Hat Or White Hat?

Classic Content = White Hat
Technology= Black Hat
Really?
What Makes One Think You Can't Learn Classics With Technology?

- C.J. Westerberg

Lately, we've been deluged with numerous articles about how technology is ruining our ability to function like human beings, here, making us even more stupid, here, less empathetic, here, and responsible for the destruction of any sensible way of life, let alone education.

"All things are true," is what a dear mentor once told me very early on in my career life. "To what degree?" was his "jolly" rejoinder to most all-encompassing statements. Well, in this case, the degree of technology infiltrating our lives is intense. So, folks, when I read this piece by Stanley Fish, here, in The NY Times, "A Classical Education: Back To the Future," it again reinforces the closed-minded silo-like mentality in the academic sphere.

Fish entices us into believing that there are three disparate views about to be conveyed. The main premise: the need for classic education. Okay, sounds interesting. Classic is a good connotation. Who in their right mind would not want their kids exposed to and reading great classics as a part of their education? Especially those parents reading an education opinion

Education Research Report: Changes in Liability Laws Could Open Up Schools for Community Recreation

Education Research Report: Changes in Liability Laws Could Open Up Schools for Community Recreation

Changes in Liability Laws Could Open Up Schools for Community Recreation

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

Politicians can't outlaw childhood obesity, but they can tweak current laws to encourage public schools to open their recreational facilities after hours without the fear of getting sued.

So concludes John Spengler, an associate professor in the University of Florida's Department of Tourism, Recreation and Sports Management.

Spengler recently completed a national study that found that even small legislative changes could encourage public schools to open their playgrounds and other sport and recreational facilities on school property for healthy recreation after school hours.

"For children in communities with few resources, a school in the heart of their community may be the only option for physical activity when a public park is too far away or their family can't afford to join a fitness center," said Spengler. "Without this option, they are more likely to stay in the house, watch television and play video games."

Schools are ideal for community recreation because they usually are closer to home, are more safe and familiar to kids and parents, and have exercise amenities such as tracks, gymnasiums, ball fields, playgrounds and

BUILDING TEACHER QUALITY IN BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

Ω

The City Must Overhaul Its Tenure Process, Do More to Support Struggling Teachers
and Increase Compensation If It Wants to Retain Effective Teachers

The National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has released a report on Baltimore City Public Schools policiesthat praises the district for hiring new teachers with strong academic backgrounds, but criticizes it for not doing all it can to hold onto them. Among the report’s findings:

• When it comes to giving principals authority over the composition of their schools’ faculties, Baltimore is among the most progressive districts in the country.
• Despite district rules requiring annual evaluations of all teachers, only half were evaluated in 2008-09.
• While Baltimore’s salaries can’t compete with pay in surrounding districts, across-the-board raises are not the solution. The district should develop targeted strategies for increasing talent, such as offering high salaries to its most effective teachers.

In partnership with the Education Reform Project of the ACLU-Maryland, NCTQ studied both city and state regulations, comparing them with those found in NCTQ’s 101-district TR3 database (www.nctq.org/tr3). NCTQ also spoke with students, teachers, parents, administrators and union leaders, to see how policies play out in

Teen automobile crash rates are higher when school starts earlier

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

Ω

Early school start times promote sleep deprivation and daytime sleepiness, which can reduce the alertness of teen drivers


Earlier school start times are associated with increased teenage car crash rates, according to a research abstract that will be presented Wednesday, June 9, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th

Anticipated shakeup turns out to be a new deputy | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Anticipated shakeup turns out to be a new deputy | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Anticipated shakeup turns out to be a new deputy Joined by Mayor Nutter at a meeting of the School Reform Commmision, Superintendent Arlene Ackerman announced a "structural change" at the District: Leroy Nunery was promoted to a new high-level post as deputy superintendent for the School District ...

PCHR participants talk about the real business of school Unlike many of the previous hearings on school violence held by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR), Tuesday night’s gathering of parents, principals, and students at the Towey Center in North Philadelphia highlighted some positive ...

White House's Go-To Senator Introduces Turnaround Bill - Politics K-12 - Education Week

White House's Go-To Senator Introduces Turnaround Bill - Politics K-12 - Education Week

White House's Go-To Senator Introduces Turnaround Bill Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., a former Denver schools chief, who is said to be the administration's go-to guy on education issues, just dropped this bill aimed at helping states and districts build capacity to turn around low-performing schools. ...

Spellings Steps in as Head of Chamber's Ed. Programs The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which was a major force behind the stepped up federal accountability in the No Child Left Behind law, has tapped former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings to serve as the new head of its education programs. ...

Eduflack: "The Incredibly Shrinking Education Commissioner"

Eduflack: "The Incredibly Shrinking Education Commissioner"

"The Incredibly Shrinking Education Commissioner"

by Eduflack

We all assume that governors and their appointed education commissioners (or state superintendents or secretaries of education) will generally get along. When the top ed job is appointed (as opposed to many states that actually elect the educator-in-chief), the gov and the ed commish tend to hail from the same party. We assume they share the same general philosophy. And we most certainly expect that the commish serves at the pleasure of the governor, and is on the same page agenda wise (at least publicly).

But then we have those great political states like New Jersey, the state dear ol' Eduflack is mostly likely to call home. After reading the political soap opera that is education policy and politics in the Garden State, a state known for bare-knuckle politics, we are now seeing the best and worst of it on the education front.

For those who haven't been turning into the telenovela, here's what you missed. Gov. Chris Christie was elected last November despite the incredible vitriol and massive campaign attacks waged by the New Jersey Education Association. NJEA expected Christie would then play ball with them, as they are a powerful labor union in a state that generally appreciates powerful labor unions, but he refused (and who can blame him, after the attacks he suffered during the campaign). On Christie's first day of office, New Jersey submitted a Phase One Race to the Top app, based largely on the wishes of NJEA. The application didn't make the cut, and NJ was not a Phase

Harvard vs. the Internet � The Quick and the Ed

Harvard vs. the Internet � The Quick and the Ed

Harvard vs. the Internet

by Kevin Carey

Donald H. Pfister, Dean of Harvard Summer School, has sent a letter in response to my recent columnand follow-up blog post. It is reprinted in full below.
Dean Pfister is right to note that Harvard Summer School has been operating successfully for a long time, since 1871. This is important context that I should have provided to readers.
That said, nothing in his letter contradicts anything I wrote. Harvard Summer School is an open admissions program taught by a combination of Harvard professors and people who are not Harvard professors. It markets itself as an opportunity to pay thousands of dollars to live in Natalie Portman’s old dorm, which is kind of creepy. And Harvard College does not accept credits earned from Harvard Summer School’s online courses.
Dean Pfister explains this last fact as simply a function of general university policy. “No online credit from any institution can be used toward graduation,” he writes. Really! That’s remarkable. Harvard believes that this particular mode of communication–one that has become an integral part of the way people in modern society live and interact, to the point where roughly one quarter of all college students take courses online–is so illegitimate

Pay-for-performance plan (surprise!) subject to racism. At that was at the Pentagon. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Pay-for-performance plan (surprise!) subject to racism. At that was at the Pentagon. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Pay-for-performance plan (surprise!) subject to racism. At that was at the Pentagon.

by preaprez

Reporting on a Pentagon study in the Washington Post:

One big problem with the NSPS (National Security Personnel System) version of pay for performance was how, and by whom, employees’ performances were evaluated. Evaluations determined their pay. In his prepared text, John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, cited an internal NSPS report, prepared by SRA International, a Fairfax consulting firm,

NCSE | National Center for Science Education - Defending the Teaching of Evolution in Public Schools.

NCSE | National Center for Science Education - Defending the Teaching of Evolution in Public Schools.

Back in late 2009, we started offering free evolution book excerpts on the NCSE web site and via Facebook. The excerpts--often complete chapters--were culled from a range of tomes, from illustrated versions of the "Origin" to textbooks (such as Douglas Futuyma's "Evolution") to kids books (such as "Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be"). This program has been very popular with visitors to our web site and our Facebook page.

If you've missed my past messages about this or that excerpt, fear not! The excerpts are still accessible...and here, for your (and your readers') delectation:

Charles Darwin's On the Origin Of Species: A Graphic Adaptation (Rodale)
by Michael Keller
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Illustrated Origin--Darwin--small--credit.pdf

The Tangled Bank (Roberts and Company)
by Carl Zimmer
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Zimmer--Tangled Bank--chapter 10--with notice---FB.pdf

Evolution, Second Edition (Sinauer Associates)
By Douglas J. Futuyma
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Evolution--Futuyma--chap11--fb.pdf

Evidence of Evolution (Abrams Books)
by Susan Middleton and Mary Ellen Hannibal
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Evidence_combined--fb.pdf

Evolution: The story of life (UC Press)
by Douglas Palmer
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Evolution--StoryofLife--fb.pdf

Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be (Kids Can Press)
by Daniel Loxton
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Evolution--KidsCanPress--FB.pdf

Rapture Ready! (Scribner)
by Daniel Radosh
http://ncse.com/files/pub/evolution/Excerpt--formatted--footnotes--FB.pdf

Evolution vs. Creationism, 2nd edition (Greenwood)
by Eugenie C. Scott
http://bit.ly/bmtqJd