States work together to create new academic tests - Boston.com

States work together to create new academic tests - Boston.com

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

Freeze berries now to savor summer later

Yes, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries can be too much of a good thing, especially when you return from the local pick-your-own farm and realize there are only so many you can eat before they start to lose their luster.(By Diana Burrell, Globe Correspondent)

Nonprofits deliver $27m for schools, with challenges attached

Several major philanthropic organizations in Boston will give $27 million to a new partnership, being announced today, that aims to greatly accelerate student achievement across the city, from “cradle to career.’’ (By James Vaznis, Globe Staff)

17 Boston teachers, staff honored for excellence

Despite cuts in programs and funds at most schools this year, 17 Boston teachers and staff members stood out among their peers and were honored for their work last night at the 2010 annual Educators of the Year and Service Excellence Awards ceremony at the Shubert Theatre. (By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Staff)

Balderas’s immigration reprieve will be indefinite

Eric Balderas, a 19-year-old Harvard biology student granted a reprieve from deportation to his native Mexico last week, will be allowed to stay in the United States indefinitely unless something changes in his case, a federal official said yesterday. (By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff)

Teachers, city reach extra-hour agreement

Boston school officials announced yesterday that they had reached a tentative agreement with the teachers’ union on a plan to overhaul the city’s 12 underperforming schools, in a new state negotiating process that attempted to resolve a divisive battle over compensating teachers for working extra hours. (By James Vaznis, Globe Staff)

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

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LATEST HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS

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Seeking Recruiting Edge, Colleges Turn to Fishing - NYTimes.com

Seeking Recruiting Edge, Colleges Turn to Fishing - NYTimes.com

James Card

Jake Lawrence, a freshman on Bethel University’s bass fishing team, was one of the first two students to receive an athletic scholarship for bass fishing.

Gone Fishing on Scholarship, With Hopes of Turning Pro

By JAMES CARD

Jake Lawrence and Jacob Hardy became the first students in the United States to receive athletic scholarships for competitive bass fishing.

New York Budget Talks Stall on University Proposal

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE

Gov. David A. Paterson wants an overhaul to the public system that would allow schools to set tuition, but some fellow Democrats are opposed.

In Law Schools, Grades Go Up, Just Like That

By CATHERINE RAMPELL

In the last two years, at least 10 law schools have made their grading systems more lenient to give their students a better chance in a soft job market.

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Ensuring Transparency at Our Public Institutions | California Progress Report

Ensuring Transparency at Our Public Institutions | California Progress Report

Ensuring Transparency at Our Public Institutions

by kaldveer

By State Senator Leland Yee
There is an unfortunate growing trend among our public higher education institutions of doing public business behind closed doors without any accountability to the taxpayer. Over the past several years, I have authored new laws to bring greater transparency to executive compensation decisions and provide protections to students and workers who report waste, fraud, and abuse.
However, another such abuse has remained unresolved for nearly ten years despite court challenges and two legislative attempts at a fix: public university auxiliary organizations.

NorthJersey.com: New Jersey Supreme Court declines to hear case on teachers' pensions

NorthJersey.com: New Jersey Supreme Court declines to hear case on teachers' pensions

New Jersey Supreme Court declines to hear case on teachers' pensions

Wednesday, June 23, 2010
LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY JUNE 23, 2010, 4:36 PM

BY PEGGY ACKERMANN AND LISA FLEISHER

STATE HOUSE BUREAU

STATE HOUSE BUREAU

The New Jersey Supreme Court has declined to hear a case in which the state’s largest teachers union sought full funding for its pension fund.

STAR-LEDGER FILE PHOTO

NJEA President Barbara Keshishian is led into in the Governor's Office at the State House In April for a meeting with Christie.

In rejecting the case Tuesday, the court let stand a ruling by a three-judge appellate panel that said New Jersey is not constitutionally required to pay the millions it owes every year into the fund for teachers' pensions.
That ruling in March came amid contentious discussion over how to fix the state’s underfunded pension plan — including a proposal that could make full funding a constitutional requirement.
The New Jersey Education Association, which represents more than

City Brights: Rachel Norton : A heartbreaker in Alameda

City Brights: Rachel Norton : A heartbreaker in Alameda

A heartbreaker in Alameda

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The subject line on an email from Alameda USD trustee Mike McMahon says it all -- "Crushing Defeat." Though there are a few votes left to be counted, it looks like Alameda's Measure E, a parcel tax to fund its highly-regarded public schools, is going down in defeat.

The irony? More than 65 percent of Alameda's voters voted to approve the tax -- juuuust shy of the 66 and 2/3 plus one required to pass. Only in California!

I can only begin to imagine the frustration and fear for the future that Alameda's parents, teachers and school administrators are experiencing right now. The measure would have added $659 annually to the property taxes for each residential parcel and 15 cents per square foot for commercial parcels, and would admittedly have been one of the highest school taxes in the Bay Area. Still, it was replacing two existing parcel taxes that are expiring in 2012, so there was a precedent for local funding of Alameda schools.

To add insult to injury, Alameda's school board last night passed a 2010-11 budget that eliminates gifted education programs, middle and high school counselors, and other programs -- in all, $7 million in cuts to Alameda USD's $80 million annual budget. Over three years, the district is expecting to cut $17 million, or more than 20 percent of its total budget.

Here in San Francisco, we passed a $198 per parcel tax back in 2008, and successfully renewed a $6 million facilities parcel tax earlier this month. Despite this funding, and additional funding from the City of San Francisco's Rainy Day Fund and Public Education Enrichment Fund, the district has faced its own budget travails - a $113 million deficit through 2011-12. Last night, we adopted a

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/rnorton/detail??blogid=184&entry_id=66403#ixzz0risvTKfK

Washington, Oregon seek to develop standardized tests for many states to use | OregonLive.com

Washington, Oregon seek to develop standardized tests for many states to use | OregonLive.com

Washington, Oregon seek to develop standardized tests for many states to use

Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 11:46 AM Updated: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 2:00 PM

Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
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Washington and Oregon are among the 31 states that applied today for $160 million in federal funding to develop rigorous new reading and math tests that would be used to evaluate students and schools in many states.

The joint application, submitted by Washington on behalf of the so-called Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, is one of at least two applications seeking to win $320 million of federal funds set aside to develop such a test.

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The tests the group says it would develop would be similar in some ways to the exams Oregon already gives. Students would take the tests on computers and would have more than one chance a year to prove they meet grade-level standards.

But, unlike Oregon's current exams, the new tests wouldn't be limited to multiple-choice questions. And they would be pegged to the recently released nationwide English and math standards that are reputed to be harder than Oregon's current standards, the Common Core Standards.

The U.S. Department of Education will announce in September which team or teams of states have won the money. Competing with the 31-state consortium is another group of 21 states, headed by

Alameda voters rejecting tax to save schools

Alameda voters rejecting tax to save schools

Alameda voters rejecting tax to save schools

Alameda voters were narrowly defeating a school tax Tuesday that both sides said would profoundly change...

San Francisco school board OKs layoffs, cuts

San Francisco school board members cited heavy hearts as they voted unanimously for a budget that...

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Education Research Report: Common Core State Standards: Tackling the Long-Term Questions

Education Research Report: Common Core State Standards: Tackling the Long-Term Questions

Common Core State Standards: Tackling the Long-Term Questions

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

The "common core" state standards for grades K-12 have been released. Some states have already adopted them. Others are considering this step. Much will need to happen if these standards and related assessments are to get traction in American education over the next few years. But the Fordham Institute is looking even further ahead: they are considering the issues that will determine the long-term viability of this endeavor. Simply stated: in 2020, who will be in charge of the common standards-and-testing effort? How will this work? Who will pay for it?

To spur discussion and smart thinking about these crucial issues, the Fordham Institute commissioned a set of

City is hiring more “superprincipals” for struggling schools | GothamSchools

City is hiring more “superprincipals” for struggling schools | GothamSchools

Remainders: Yes, the Harlem space wars are still raging on - Video of a walkout during a Harlem charter space hearing. (Norm Scott) - The city will investigate the death of Nicole Suriel of Columbia Secondary. (Post) - The DOE is looking for someone to oversee its quality reviews. (Simply ...

City is hiring more “superprincipals” for struggling schools [image: june-10-pep-mtg] Last night, Murry Bergtraum High School chapter leader John Elfrank-Dana criticzed the city's decision to hire an executive principal without teachers' input. After dodging layoffs by eliminating raises for teachers and city ...

They might have 99 problems, but Regents prep ain’t one [image: New Design High School social studies teacher Tad Donozo, right, helps coach 11th grade U.S. history students for next week's Regents exam.] New Design High School social studies teacher Tad Donozo, right, helps coach 11th grade U.S. history ...

Teacher Quality Quantity � The Quick and the Ed

Teacher Quality Quantity � The Quick and the Ed

Teacher Quality Quantity Chicago Public Schools is not known for being a hard grader on teacher quality. In a city with 20,000 teachers, it dismissed only about 1 percent of its teaching workforce, cumulatively, over an 11 year period ending in 2005. From 2003 to 2005, 80% ...

QUICK Hits [image: Quick Hits] *Quick Hits is a short compilation of question-raising news stories, blog posts, and video clips that Education Sector team members are reading and viewing each day.* - Going to college on a fishing scholarship? (New York ...

Race to the Test Due Today — What’s Needed Going Forward Today is the deadline for the $350 million “Race to the Test” competition. Proposals for a $320 million fund for comprehensive assessment systems (two proposals to be funded) and a $30 million fund for high school end-of-course tests are due today. ...