Hawaii passes law mandating 180-day school year - Boston.com

Hawaii passes law mandating 180-day school year - Boston.com

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

Students at Flag Day celebration reflect on meaning of Stars & Stripes

While political pundits speculate whether the country seems more divided than ever these days, Isabel Basow answers this seemingly complicated question with a simple metaphor. (By Alex Katz, Globe Correspondent)

Cherie Jimenez has turned her life around from drugs, prostitution, and abusive relationships and is helping other women to do it, too.

A lot of people knew Cherie Jimenez in the 1970s. They just didn’t all know about each other. (By Linda Matchan, Globe Staff)

Catholic University names BC law dean as president

WASHINGTON — John H. Garvey, a Boston College Law School dean with a long record of scholarship on some of the most divisive issues in the Catholic Church, will be named president of the Catholic University of America today. . (By Daniel de Vise, Washington Post)

Metco students, parents upset by school cutbacks

School officials in Lincoln and Sudbury voted last week to merge two of their three Metco programs, a cost-saving measure that has angered Boston students and parents who say they were excluded from the process and are worried about the future of the program. (By James O’Brien, Globe Correspondent)

Salem plans Horace Mann charter high school

Salem is preparing to seek state approval to open its own charter school even as organizers of the Road to Success Charter High School ready a revised plan for a charter school serving Lynn and Salem. (By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent)

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

• Cornell doctoral student faces life for murder (AP, 9:11 a.m.)
• Teen at Mass. school faces assault charge (AP, 9:08 a.m.)
• Hawaii passes law mandating 180-day school year (AP, 8:08 a.m.)
• Hispanic apparent winner in unusual NY election (AP, 2 a.m.)
• Proposed new rules for college recruitment (AP, 12:11 a.m.)

LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS

• KEVIN CULLEN Tough act too hollow (Boston Globe, 6/15/10)
• Court will wait to hear Conn. graduation appeal (AP, 6/14/10)
• Conn. graduation appeal won't be heard beforehand(AP, 6/14/10)
• Search scaled down for missing Portland boy (AP, 6/14/10)
• Ore. boy's disappearance now a criminal case (AP, 6/14/10)

LATEST HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS

• Saudi unveils 1st domestically made car (AP, 6/15/10)
• California committee defeats pension-reform bill (AP, 6/15/10)
• William Mitchell, former MIT dean, dies at 65 (AP, 6/14/10)
• Court upholds NJ governor's 2010 school cuts (AP, 6/14/10)
• UConn, Bridgeport partner in pharmacy program (AP, 6/14/10)

This Week In Education: UPK: Back From The Dead

This Week In Education: UPK: Back From The Dead

UPK: Back From The Dead

by Alexander Russo

Just when you think universal preschool (UPK) is finally dead, it comes back again. This time its return comes in the form of a massive cover package in The American Prospect featuring scads of pro-early childhood education articles by the likes of Sara Mead and Cornelia Grumman. Don't they know that there's a recession on, and no one has time or money to think about the little kids?

Reading for Life Sara Mead
Literacy Begins at Birth Cornelia Grumman
Lessons From New Jersey Gordon MacInnes
Missing Out on Reading Hedy N. Chang and Phyllis W. Jordan
Health Education Monica Potts

Teachers: To Retire, Or To Stay On Another Year?

by Alexander Russo

“I wanted to stay, selfishly, for me. That would not have been the best decision for everyone else concerned. It wouldn’t have been the best for the younger teachers who got pink-slipped, it wouldn’t have been good for my family, financially.” Teachers torn as retirement looms (MLive.com)

Blog U.: ABC’s and PhD’s: Stuff - Mama PhD - Inside Higher Ed

Blog U.: ABC’s and PhD’s: Stuff - Mama PhD - Inside Higher Ed

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  ABC’s and PhD’s: Stuff

  By Dana Campbell June 16, 2010 8:14 am
  
  I didn’t write last week because I was overwhelmed in getting ready for our annual migration west. We spend the summer months doing research, writing, traveling and visiting our west coast-located parents and extended family. Especially because we live so far from family, this summer flexibility is one of the greatest perks of an academic career, as far as I’m concerned (I’ve blogged about this before). But no matter how far in advance I plan, the week before we leave is inevitably a hectic affair whereby my husband and I race the clock to pack up most of the stuff in our house before we turn over the keys to our summer renters and race to the airport, not to return for two and a half months.
  This year we filled our entire front porch with old stuff that we took in load after load to our local thrift store (actually the store at which we purchase much of the clothes, toys, and stuff in our house, too!) You might think that after 11 years of such pre-summer cleanup our house would be organized and uncluttered, but no, it magically refills every year, and each year I find many sealed boxes labeled “To be opened after summer 2005,” and the like (which I am loathe to even open). I am amazed by the amount of stuff we have.
  One of my own personal theories is that those who are more environmentally conscious have

School Tech Connect: The Republic of Nonsense

School Tech Connect: The Republic of Nonsense

The Republic of Nonsense

by Tim

I like Texas; I'm from Texas. Texas is a friend of mine. So I can say this little piece without being accused of messin' with Texas:

Texas, the nation is tired of your bullsh*t in education data.

Whenever Texas coughs up some statistical achievement, people later find the snake oil.

Arne Duncan is Margaret Spellings in drag, and

Report: Empowerment helped; grading system “deeply flawed” | GothamSchools

Report: Empowerment helped; grading system “deeply flawed” | GothamSchools

Report: Empowerment helped; grading system “deeply flawed”

by Maura Walz

Chancellor Joel Klein’s strategy of empowering principals while holding them more accountable for results helped struggling schools get better. But his A to F grading system is “deeply flawed” and needs improvement.
That’s the message of a new, incredibly detailed report from the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs.
The report is the result of a study of hundreds of schools, including in-depth interviews with principals and school visits. The authors focused especially on the Bronx’s District 7.
The report is being released this morning at a panel discussion featuring Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch; the Department of Education’s accountability chief Shael Polakow-Suransky; John Garvey, until recently the City University of New York’s liaison to the public schools; and MS 223 principal Ramon Gonzalez.
We’ll have more details after the panel. For now, here’s the report:

Education Week: Exit Interview: Duncan's Outgoing Chief of Staff

Education Week: Exit Interview: Duncan's Outgoing Chief of Staff

Exit Interview: Duncan's Outgoing Chief of Staff

By Michele McNeil

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

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Margot Rogers, chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, is leaving her post on June 30 after 18 months in which she helped build the department’s leadership team and implement $100 billion worth of economic-stimulus programs.

Before joining Mr. Duncan’s staff at the start of the Obama administration, Ms. Rogers, an attorney, spent 15 years working for education-related nonprofit organizations and foundations, including the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Margot Rogers

Mr. Duncan credits her with serving as a thoughtful sounding board, and for becoming a “one-man HR wrecking crew” as part of an effort to recruit education leaders to top posts in his department.

Taking her place in this key role at a time of broad transition for the department will be Joanne Weiss, who has been in charge of the Race to the Top Fund competitive grant program. Mr. Duncan described the department’s shift as one toward policy implementation and away from policy formation, since the department has already set policies around Race to the Top; the Investing in Innovation, or i3, Fund; and other grant programs.

What follows is an edited transcript of a 30-minute interview on June 14 with Ms.

Vote on expansion of charter schools in Philly postponed Notes from the news, June 16 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, June 16 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, June 16

by Erika Owens

Congrats to all 2010 graduates!
At South Philadelphia High, an upbeat end to a tumultuous year The Inquirer
Superintendent Ackerman attended the ceremony. Graduating senior Duong Ly said that the good thing to come out of the tumult was "after Dec. 3, we know how to organize."
See also: South Phila. students graduate after tough year 6ABC
Vote on expansion of charter schools in Philly postponed The Inquirer
The SRC said it won't vote on expansion of charter schools at today's meeting and the next meeting is in August, which is much too late for schools to actually prepare to offer the new slots in September.
See also: Charter school leaders antsy over delay on expansion vote The Notebook blog
Charters' approach is working The Inquirer (opinion)
Microsoft High School's First Graduating Class Has a Bright Future Fast Company
The first graduation took place yesterday.
See also: First class graduates from 'School of the Future' 6ABC
Microsoft's 'School of the Future' graduates first class AP via USA TODAY
Ronnie Polaneczky: Michelle gets to walk, but Ackerman kneecaps principal ... & principles Daily News
Michelle graduated from Germantown High School yesterday and her principal had said she couldn't walk in the ceremony due to lateness, but Ackerman overrode that decision.
Speech to the Class of 2010 Practical Theory blog
Principal Chris Lehmann's speech to the first class of Science Leadership Academy.
Will the education reformers ever learn? The Inquirer (opinion)
Phila. Charter School Geared to Foster Kids Graduates 1st Class KYW
Philadelphia's top teacher again from Bodine High School The Inquirer
Arts grants target Philadelphia youth WHYY
4 Philadelphia Students Honored for Perfect Attendance KYW
Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.
Click here to get Notes from the news in your inbox every day.
Notes from the news

This Week In Education: AM News: Edujobs Stalled, USDE Rules Delayed

This Week In Education: AM News: Edujobs Stalled, USDE Rules Delayed

AM News: Edujobs Stalled, USDE Rules Delayed

by Alexander Russo

Aid to states, the jobless faces Senate hurdles AP: A bill providing jobless benefits and tens of billions of dollars in new aid for states and Medicare payments for doctors hangs by a thread in Congress despite lingering worries of another recession without it... Jobs-Bill Backers Searching For Strategy to Win Passage EdWeek: Supporters of a federal education jobs bill were still searching for a legislative vehicle late last week... Education" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/education/16education.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 68, 187); ">Education Dept. Delays Rules on For-Profit Colleges NYT: The Education Department split off a decision on the treatment of for-profit college programs whose graduates do not earn enough to repay their loans... White House Proposes Tighter Rules for Recruiting Students WSJ: The rules, slated to take effect July 2011, would apply to the more than 600 colleges and universities supported by federal student aid. But some of the regulations take aim directly at for-profit higher education, a growing sector that federal officials want to rein in...Some for-profit schools face tougher recruiting restrictions under Obama planWashington Post: The Obama administration proposed to tighten oversight of the booming for-profit sector of higher education on Tuesday, with rules that aim to curtail aggressive recruiting practices and that require schools to disclose graduation and job-placement rates to prospective students...

Media: California Ed News Blog Joins Slew Of Others

by Alexander Russo

A newish blog called The Educated Guess has joined a crowded field of nonprofit funded education news blogs, according to this roundup that notes that education coverage is following the path of foundation-funded health care reform sites which have long been around. Written by a former San Jose Mercury News journalist named John Fensterwald, Educated Guess is funded by the Hewlett Foundation and housed at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation. Is it any good? No idea. Will it last? Who knows. But maybe you do. I won't bore you with my thoughts about the nonprofit model.

Voices in Urban Education

Voices in Urban Education

Beyond the Individual Teacher: How Collective Practice Leads to Higher Teaching Quality By Marla Ucelli-Kashyap, ed. To maintain teaching quality in hard-to-staff schools, education leaders need to view teaching not just as an individual act, but as a collective activity within and beyond school walls. Read More..>>

How Best to Add Value? Strike a Balance between the Individual and the Organization in School Reform

By Susan Moore Johnson

What is the crucial role of the school as an organization in enhancing teaching quality, in addition to recruiting and rewarding the most talented individual teachers?

Read More..>>

Social Capital: The Collective Component of Teaching Quality

By Carrie Leana

Why should current discussions of human capital in education always include the often-overlooked but crucial role of social capital?

Read More..>>

Compensation and Collaboration: A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Teaching Effectiveness

By Jonathan Eckert

How can school-level structures help develop effective teachers by supporting both individual teacher quality and collective teaching quality?

Read More..>>

Professional Learning Communities: Building Blocks for School Culture and Student Learning

By Milbrey McLaughlin and Joan Talbert

How can student-centered, data-driven professional learning communities improve school culture, instructional quality, and student outcomes?

Read More..>>

A Pioneering Collaboration to Improve Reading in Central Falls

By Christine Wiltshire, Frances Gallo and Kath Connolly

How did one unusual partnership between an urban school district and a charter school share best teaching practices and collectively support early reading proficiency?

Read More..>>

Collective Practice: Strategies for Sustainable Improvement

By Robert Kronley and Marla Ucelli-Kashyap

Why do policy-makers and partners seeking to help sustain instructional improvement need to broaden the prevailing policy focus beyond teaching as an isolated act?

Read More..>>

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Conversations about Teaching, Blocking, Motivating with Dr. Garcia's Students

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Conversations about Teaching, Blocking, Motivating with Dr. Garcia's Students

Conversations about Teaching, Blocking, Motivating with Dr. Garcia's Students

by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)

Spent some time today answering questions from Dr. Garcia's class about teaching. Below are some of the questions and links to the blogs of the students that asked them. Please consider going to the blogs below and leaving your own thoughts. Inspiring conversation shows the power of our new interconnected world so bring these educators in with your thoughts and conversation! All of the students are listed on their wiki and I'll try to get to all of the conversations, but am not sure I'll be able to. Would you help me?

US Education Dept Avoids 'Gainful Employment' In Reform Draft - WSJ.com

US Education Dept Avoids 'Gainful Employment' In Reform Draft - WSJ.com

US Education Dept Avoids 'Gainful Employment' In Reform Draft

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The U.S. Department of Education on Wednesday will propose sweeping reforms to a number of issues governing higher education, including attempting to define a credit hour, penalizing schools for misrepresenting their qualifications or offerings and tightening rules governing recruiter compensation.

Most notable about the recommendations, known as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, is what's absent, as the Education Department chose not to tackle a hotly debated measure that would punish schools for graduating students with high debt-to-income ratios in an attempt to measure how well they prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation. For-profit schools ...