Saturday, June 26, 2010

By Katy Murphy
Friday, June 25th, 2010 at 2:50 pm in adult education, budget, preschool
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The other week, we visited the Highland Childhood Development Center in East Oakland for a story about the possible elimination of state-subsidized, all-day preschool for the children of low-income working (or studying) parents.

Highland did not appear on this week’s list of seven possible CDC closures in Oakland. Which ones did? Golden Gate, Hintil Kuu Ca, Jefferson, Manzanita, Piedmont Avenue, Santa Fe and Sequoa. Parker was slated for closure before the governor came out with his proposal to slash preschool funding.

You can find more details Read the rest of this entry »

Assemblymember Furutani Investigates Multiple Pathways for High School E...

(Sacramento, CA) -- The California Legislature held a joint hearing of the Senate and Assembly Career Technical Education and Workforce Committees regarding the implementation of Assembly Bill 2648. AB 2648 requires California's Superintendent of Public Instruction to report to the Legislature regarding the feasibility of multiple pathways to integrate academic and career technical education for California high school students. Chair of the Assembly Committee, Warren Furutani (D-Long Beach) expressed his optimism about giving our students a variety of avenues to achieve future career success. Learn more in the Assembly Access video.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Hebrew Is the Focus of a Brooklyn Charter School - NYTimes.com

For Some Students, No More Pencils and No More Books Came a Day Early

By SHARON OTTERMAN

Some parents have decided to allow their children to skip the last day of school and start summer a few days early.

School Is Turned Around, but Cost Gives Pause

By SAM DILLON

Locke High School in Los Angeles has seen significant progress since it was taken over by a charter school group in 2008, but the gains have come at a considerable cost.

New Strategy Announced to Improve City Schools

By SHARON OTTERMAN

Eleven of the city’s 34 struggling schools will be the first to have new teacher evaluation laws in a transformation model.

Students completed a reading assignment at the Hebrew Language Academy, a charter school in Brooklyn.

Success and Scrutiny at Hebrew Charter School

By JENNIFER MEDINA

Hebrew Language Academy in Brooklyn has become one of the most racially mixed charter campuses in the city.

Video: Dual Language School Offers Hebrew

Senator Calls for New Rules for For-Profit Colleges

By TAMAR LEWIN

Senator Tom Harkin said at a hearing that new rules were needed to prevent waste of taxpayer money and fraudulent practices that harm students.

Don Q. Griffin, the chancellor of City College of San Francisco, presides over a campus split by a furor over remedial classes.

At City College, a Battle Over Remedial Classes for English and Math

By CAROL POGASH

A dispute over the length of remedial classes for English and math has sharply divided City College of San Francisco after a trustee proposed shortening the classes.

Thanks to a charter high school and his own hard work, Shantell Hopkins, second from left, received his diploma on June 14.

Good Data for Charters, but Some Urge Caution

By MEG McSHERRY BRESLIN

Charter schools financed by the Renaissance Schools Fund graduated their first high school classes this spring, and their college enrollment figures are high.

Schools Matter: New KIPP Study Flawed

New KIPP Study Flawed

by Jim Horn

The preliminary findings of a new study of KIPP schools were released this week by Mathematica Policy Research, the company contracted by KIPP, Inc. to conduct this longitudinal examination of the KIPP’s effects on student test scores. To no one’s surprise, these new finding show KIPP students have higher test scores than students from a matched group of public schools. In fact,

. . .the black-white test score gap in math is typically estimated as approximately onestandard deviation at fourth grade and eighth grade (Bloom et al. 2008). Half of these KIPP schools are producing impacts large enough to cut that gap in half within three years (p. xv).

So what does this study tell us that we did not already know, since KIPP’s high test scores have been

School-eye views of the city’s new draft discipline standards | GothamSchools

School-eye views of the city’s new draft discipline standards

by Maura Walz

When the city proposed changes to its discipline rules, its new policy towards “cyber-bullying” and “sexting”caught the public eye.
But the central changes have nothing to do with text messages. They represent a win by civil rights groups who have been calling on the city to make sure that schools use more counseling and less punishment and suspension to resolve problems.
At a hearing on the proposed changes Wednesday, one middle school principal described a program that she piloted and is now part of the new code. In some schools the program, which is known as PBIS and is designed

Two different goodbyes to a phase-out school’s seniors | GothamSchools

Two different goodbyes to a phase-out school’s seniors

by Anna Phillips

As students shimmied and wobbled on perilously high heels across the stage at Bayard Rustin High School’s graduation today, teachers commented on what a difficult year it had been.
The Chelsea high school began phasing out last fall when it opened without a new ninth grade, and it will close for good in 2012. In October four Bayard Rustin students attended a Harvard Black Alumni Society panel on the dropout crisis and confronted Chancellor Joel Klein about his decision to close their school.
At the time, Klein made the students a bet: if they graduated, and would like him to, he would speak at their

Teacher Appreciation Song: A Song for Teachers - You Have Made A Difference

A Song for Teachers - You Have Made A Difference

School Food Reform, One No-Bake Tart at a Time - Food - The Atlantic

School Food Reform, One No-Bake Tart at a Time

JUN 24 2010, 1:30 PM ET |

Comment

Mackie Jimbo

To try the recipe for the raw fruit tart that Food Is Elementary educators use to teach kids about cooking and healthy eating, click here.

Catherine Dixon wheels a dilapidated, squeaky cart into a crowded classroom, where 25 eighth graders are waiting. "Today, we are making pasta primavera, a dish from Italy," she announces as she unloads boxes of pasta, fresh vegetables, and a mismatched assortment of kitchenware. As Dixon goes over the recipe, she asks the students to identify each vegetable that will be used. They instantly recognize tomatoes and bell peppers, but one vegetable—white asparagus—eludes them. "It looks like wood," one student remarks.

Dixon teaches a nutrition program called Food Is Elementary at Baltimore's Stadium School, a predominantly minority charter school. As food education has entered the national debate and gained the attention of powerful allies such as Michelle Obama, Dixon, too, has been disturbed by what she has seen: staggering obesity rates fueled by destructive, unhealthy diets.

Although Michelle Obama and her Let's Move Campaign call for major top-down food policy reform, Dixon takes a different approach. While reforming food policy is of course a long-term goal, Food Is Elementary has a more immediate priority: educating kids about healthy eating by

The Educated Reporter: Radio silence on special ed.

Radio silence on special ed.

by Linda Perlstein

I mentioned last month that special ed identifications seem to be leveling off or even decreasing. Mike Petrilli at Flypaper offers some perspective; he is inclined to think that Reading First and Response to Intervention are behind this shift. Commenters to both our posts ask whether districts are refusing in greater numbers to provide special ed services to students who really need it. That suspicions differ so greatly on the reasons makes it all

TER goes the the movies: “Waiting for Superman.”

by Linda Perlstein

When Davis Guggenheim spoke at the EWA conference in May about his education reform documentary“Waiting for Superman,” he said, “This really is not about ‘charters good, mainstream bad.’” Yet anyone who has seen the film, as I did yesterday, would say it is constructed precisely that way: A set of children waits to find out if they get into the charter schools that we are led to believe are the only hope for them. Unfortunately we don’t get to see for ourselves what is so lousy about these kids’ current schools or even what is great about the ones they aspire to, which is a shame. Guggenheim gives us data on outcomes but really only brings us into bad classrooms via clips from “The Simpsons” and “School of Rock.” Surely Michelle Rhee, who let cameras film

Democurmudgeon: Pro School Privatization Candidates Ownership of Taxpayer funded Voucher and Charter Schools gets Media Yawn.

Pro School Privatization Candidates Ownership of Taxpayer funded Voucher and Charter Schools gets Media Yawn.

by Democurmudgeon

What is it about our current crop of politicians pushing an agenda that would essentially pad their own pockets with taxpayer dollars. It's all being done without any news media astonishment? I wasn't going to make a big deal about it, but maybe someone should. Take gubernatorial candidate Mark Neumann:
Neumann Wants To Get Rid Of Teacher Certification: Republican gubernatorial
candidate Mark Neumann is proposing to get rid of state certification for teachers … also isproposing a series of incentives that will encourage private schools and public charter schools to compete with and replace failing public schools. "(I want ) representatives from all

Will Districts Spend Stimulus Bucks Before Deadline? - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Will Districts Spend Stimulus Bucks Before Deadline?

by Michele McNeil

That's a very real question, especially after reading this post from the Association of School Business Officials.
During a recent U.S Department of Education webinar geared toward districts, 48 percent of those who participated said they were somewhat concerned about spending their money before the clock strikes midnight on Sept. 30, 2011. That's the deadline for spending $10 billion in Title I and $12 billion in special education dollars.
Of that money, districts have $6 billion in Title I funds (not counting school improvement grants) waiting to be

All America High School Service Team – ED.gov Blog

All America High School Service Team

On June 5th, Secretary Arne Duncan presented the inaugural All America High School Service Team Award to five high school students from across the country who made nationally significant contributions of service. See photos.
Vice President Biden spoke at the event about the importance of community involvement and public service. See video of his remarks.

This Week In Education: On The Hill: Actress Slams Politicos For Not Doing Right By Kids

On The Hill: Actress Slams Politicos For Not Doing Right By Kids

by Alexander Russo

She might not be a big draw for staffers but I'm sure their bosses were wowed by the appearance of actress Jennifer Garner on the Hill yesterday.
Here she is milling about in between photo ops and her remarks, which included the crack that parents "expect politicians to do the right thing...but that isn’t happening." For more go here.

Hill: Senate Jobs / Economic Relief Bill Fails

by Alexander Russo

There are other vehicles and approaches to providing relief to school districts but the Senate jobs/economic relief bill has died an ugly death this week, it's finally being acknowledged: Senate Democrats pull jobs bill - David RogersPolitico: A Democratic-backed jobs and economic relief bill collapsed in the

AM News: Turnaround Fever In The Golden State

by Alexander Russo

A slew of California-related school reform articles, including Sam Dillon's NYT update on the $15 million cost of revamping Locke high school ( Education" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/education/25school.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 68, 187); ">School Is Turned Around, but Cost Gives Pause), LA Times and Daily News coverage of Mayor Villaraigosa's press conference yesterday (Villaraigosa backs charter school bids, rips Cortines, Mayor presses LAUSD), and announcement of California's share of the SIG money (Calif. gets $416M to turn around failing schools).

The 21st Century Principal

US Department of Education Claims That Vouchers Improve Graduation Rates: Junk Science at Its Best

I recently began reading Dan Agin’s book Junk Science: An Overdue Indictment of Government, Industry, and Faith Groups That Twist Science for Their Own Gain. In that book, Agin goes to great lengths to point out how special interests in government, commerce, and the “faith” industry are using “junk” science to change or sway public opinion toward their own biased positions. Yesterday, the US Department of Education released their report entitled “Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.” The results of that report include the following:

There is no conclusive evidence that the Opportunity Scholarship Program affected student achievement. “On average, after at least four years students who were offered (or used) scholarships had reading and math scores that were statistically similar to those who were not offered scholarships.”
The program significantly improved students’ chances of graduating from high school. “The offer of an Opportunity Scholarship Program Scholarship raised students’ probability of completing high school by 12 percentage points overall. The graduation rate based on parent-provided information was 82 percent for the treatment group compared to 70 percent for the control group.
The Opportunity Scholarship Program raised parents’, but

Democurmudgeon: Charter School Owner, State Senator and Possible Candidate for Govenor Wants more Failing Schools Like His Own.

Democurmudgeon: Charter School Owner, State Senator and Possible Candidate for Govenor Wants more Failing Schools Like His Own.:

Charter School Owner, State Senator and Possible Candidate for Govenor Wants more Failing Schools Like His Own.

In another fine example of a won over Democrat for voucher and charter schools:

In his quest to be the Democrats' nominee for governor, State Sen. Anthony Williams is calling for expanding educational choice and targeting taxpayer funds to charters and other schools that produce results.
While never answering the question as to why people hate spending money on public schools but love sending it to private hucksters, see if you can see a shocking conflict of interest in the following paragraph:

But the Southwest Philadelphia charter school he founded as Renaissance Advantage in 1999 and oversaw as board chairman for a decade has experienced rocky times. The school, which Williams renamed Hardy Williams Academy in 2009 for his late father, was nearly closed in 2003 because of academic and management problems.
A state senator and possible Democratic nominee for governor, Williams has a vested interest in seeing taxpayer dollars going to charter schools. Well what do you know. And it's not doing well, surprise,

Statement by the Press Secretary on Republican Obstruction of Jobless Benefits and State Aid | The White House

Statement by the Press Secretary on Republican Obstruction of Jobless Benefits and State Aid

Today, Republicans in the Senate for the second time blocked a bill that includes critical aid for states and American families. This legislation extends benefits for Americans looking for work and would save the jobs of thousands of teachers, firefighters and police officers by providing relief to states struggling with budget shortfalls. And it includes tax cuts for businesses that keep research and development jobs here in the United States. By blocking an up or down vote on this legislation, Republicans in the Senate obstructed a common-sense package that would save jobs, extend tax cuts for businesses and provide relief for American families who have suffered through the worst economic downfall since the Great Depression, even after Democrats offered multiple compromises to gain Republican support for the bill. The President has been clear: Americans should not fall victim to Republican obstruction at a time of great economic challenge for our nation’s families. The President will continue to press Congress to pass this bill and bring this relief that’s critical to our economic recovery.

Conference Call with Education Grantmakers – ED.gov Blog

Conference Call with Education Grantmakers

Secretary Arne Duncan held a 30-minute conference call with education grantmakers on June 23.
He provided an update on recently released information about the Investing in Innovation Fund (i3) and other grant programs such as Race to the Top and Promise Neighborhoods. He then answered questions from some of the 230 participants about the role for education funders as states and districts implement reforms in a difficult fiscal environment.
Listen to the the call, or read the transcript.