Monday, June 14, 2010

Skip teacher conference -- and go to jail? | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Skip teacher conference -- and go to jail?

Worthy plan would make it illegal for parents to miss meetings about their kids in school

Oralandar Brand-Williams / The Detroit News

Detroit --Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy wants to make it illegal for parents to skip parent-teacher conferences.

It's a plan that's still in the works, and Worthy acknowledges it faces a tough sell. But she said she's so concerned about truancy and juvenile crime that she wants an ordinance that would force parents to attend at least one conference a year -- or face jail.

"If they come (to the conferences), they will be more engaging in their children's education," Worthy told The Detroit News.

"There is a link between truancy and parental involvement."

Worthy said she's working with the Wayne County Commission and hopes to introduce a proposal in August. She unveiled the idea during a neighborhood meeting last week, and it's already drawing praise and scorn.

Farr Jahr, senior director of communication for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, called the concept "rather unprecedented."

"Parental involvement in education is desirable, but there's hardly any benefit from government coercion," said Jahr. "Are kids going to be better off if they have a parent in jail?"

Worthy said her intention isn't to jail parents and would create exceptions for ill parents "as long as they are communicating with the school." She wants the law on the books to allow judges to order parents to attend the teacher meetings. Those who refuse the orders could face undisclosed fines or jail time.

Those penalties are still in the works, but Worthy said she wants to partner with superintendents, public officials, law enforcement and community groups.

"Those would be my dream partners," said Worthy. "I don't expect to get everyone, as I think this will be

From The Detroit News: http://www.detnews.com/article/20100614/SCHOOLS/6140339/Skip-teacher-conference----and-go-to-jail#ixzz0qq9jZh9w

Budget pain hits education

Low enrollment, reduced aid lead to school closures in suburbs

Te'a Williams and Danny Desnoyer are sixth-graders at Oakwood Middle School in Eastpointe. The school will close for good on Thursday.

The waning days of the school year have been bittersweet for parents, teachers and students in districts throughout Metro Detroit that will shutter schools this month to cut costs. - 06/14/2010

Skip teacher conference -- and go to jail?

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has drawn a link between truancy, youth crime, and parental involvement. She wants to make it illegal for parents to skip parent-teacher conferences. - 06/14/2010

CyberSurvey: Should parents receive misdemeanor citations for failing to attend at least one student-teacher conference in a year?

Foes of mayoral control for Detroit schools to protest

Detroit -- Community members who oppose mayoral control for Detroit Public Schools will launch their campaign to stop the plan Monday. - 06/13/2010

U-M robot Mabel clears stacked wood, may jog soon

Electrical engineering professor Jessy Grizzle with the robot Mabel. He and his graduate students are training the robot to adjust its gait to changes in terrain as part of their research toward robots that can be used for such activities as remote land exploration.

Sometimes, it's no pain, no gain in the world of robotics. The University of Michigan's walking robot Mabel broke a leg while demonstrating her ability to climb over a stack of wooden planks. Her creators say they hope to see her jogging by winter. - 06/13/2010

Bobb defends control at DPS

Detroit -- Taking the stand before a packed courtroom, Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb defended his decisions to not consult with the school board on everything from buying books to issuing tests, saying he had the power to decide academics. - 06/12/2010

Bobb testifies he thought he had the power to bypass DPS board

Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb said in court today he didn't offer feedback to the elected school board on their own academic plan and instead wrote his own academic plan for Detroit Public Schools because believed he had the power to do so. - 06/11/2010

Civil Rights Fight EducationNews.org

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June 14, 2010

EducationNews Today

California universities consider adopting the T-word: tuition
6.14.10 - Since 1960's master plan for public higher education, which had the goal of tuition-free schooling for all, the word has been eschewed in favor of "fees." But recent realities argue for a change.

College intern hiring rebounds
6.14.10 - After sharply scaling back during the recession, many companies are again expanding internship programs. Both employers and university career centers are seeing stronger demand for interns this year. It's also a sign that a recovery may be under way in the job market. ...

The principal who created a wellspring of innovation
6.14.10 - Jay Mathews - Despite the school's disadvantages, Jackson has produced one of the highest levels of Advanced Placement test participation in the country - top 2 percent. Thirty-seven percent of Wakefield seniors have passing scores on those tests, more than twice the national average. ...

Commentaries

Civil Rights Fight
6.13.10 - Dorene Philpot - It's easy for the relatively small group of us who are fighting for the rights of children with disabilities to become discouraged and

EdNews Reports

An Interview with Julian Allsid: Where the Jobs Are......or Are Going to Be !
6.12.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - We just completed a report about the myths and realities of "green jobs" which found that the demand for green jobs is still mostly projected

Assuring Meaningful School Work: A Career Context
Andrew Rothstein, Ph.D. - In almost every career, professionals integrate knowledge from a variety of disciplines on a daily basis. Those who enjoy their work tend to point to aspects of their jobs in which they bring together many of their skills and talents to solve interesting challenges. They get great satisfaction in being part of well-functioning teams.

Schools Matter: Today's Charter School Crime Log: 38 Counts of Embezzlement, Money Laundering, Etc.

Today's Charter School Crime Log: 38 Counts of Embezzlement, Money Laundering, Etc.

by Jim Horn

This time a state audit was filed three years ago, and Ivy Academia continues unabated to grow its crooked vine. This is one of the good ones, according to Eduwank criteria. From L.A. Times:

The leaders of a high-performing San Fernando Valley charter school were charged this week with stealing more than $200,000 in public funds through embezzlement, money laundering and filing false tax returns, among other alleged crimes.

Eugene Selivanov, 38, and his wife, Tatyana Berkovich, 33, have denied any wrongdoing, according to their attorney.

An arraignment scheduled for Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court was postponed until next month.

The couple faces 38 felony and misdemeanor counts for alleged actions from 2004 through 2009 in their operation of Ivy Academia, a charter school with test scores that place it in the state's top 30% of schools.

The legal troubles are the latest twist in the saga of two Russian immigrants who combined their passions for education and business with their charter school of 1,100 students.