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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 07/07/2010

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 07/07/2010

Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 07/07/2010

by coolcatteacher@gmail.com (Victoria A Davis, Cool Cat Teacher)
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Annapolis High School: A Work In Progress : NPR

Annapolis High School: A Work In Progress : NPR

Annapolis High School: A Work In Progress

by CLAUDIO SANCHEZ
Long before the Obama administration started talking about turning around failing schools, Annapolis High School in Maryland embarked on a radical transformation. It went to a 12 month school year. Teachers and administrators had to re-apply for their jobs, and those who were rehired vowed to never again let a single student fall through the cracks.
Phyu Phyu Aye, a Burmese refugee, teaches sewing at the Refugee Resource Center in Fort Wayne, In.
View captionErika Celeste/NPR

From Job Skills To People Skills: Learning U.S. Ways

(15) (17)
Fort Wayne, Ind., is a primary destination for refugees. To avoid a clash of cultures, local organizations are working to provide training in practical job skills as well as cultural competency -- and the immigrants aren't the only ones making a change.
On Morning EditionPlaylist
Chinese Classroom

The New Republic: Lessons From China And Singapore

(1) (22)

Calif. Schools on Brink of Bankruptcy

More than a dozen districts are in immediate danger.
(30) (3)

Dad Won't Pay For College, So Daughter Sues

She won. The father had to pay $47,000.
(63) (12)
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Schools trustees consider parcel tax - SignOnSanDiego.com

Schools trustees consider parcel tax - SignOnSanDiego.com

Schools trustees consider parcel tax

Measure could be placed on ballot

BY MAUREEN MAGEE, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2010 AT 9:12 P.M.

WHAT'S NEXT

The San Diego school board will consider placing a parcel tax on the November ballot following a public hearing on the proposal at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the school district headquarters, 4100 Normal St.
It might be a bold move during these bleak times, but the San Diego school district is poised to ask property owners to pay a new tax to help protect public education from the state’s worsening fiscal crisis.
The San Diego Unified School District has proposed a parcel tax for the November ballot to help pay for teachers, protect class sizes and maintain education programs. It would generate $58 million annually over five years.
If the measure is placed on the ballot and approved by voters, single-family homeowners would be charged $98 annually while condominium and apartment owners would be taxed $60 per unit. Low-income seniors would be exempt.
Commercial and industrial properties would be taxed based on parcel size, ranging from $450 for parcels up
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Roseville City School District grows as others in region decline - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Roseville City School District grows as others in region decline - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Roseville City School District grows as others in region decline
By Diana Lambert - Published: 12:00 am
Roseville City School District is different from most other districts in the region. It's growing.
Earthquake upgrades force temporary move for Sacramento's St. Francis elementary school
By Melody Gutierrez - Updated: 12:21 pm
St. Francis of Assisi Elementary School will relocate for the upcoming school year after its current building on 25th and K streets was deemed unsafe.

2W6TEACHERS1
California teacher layoffs hit poor performing schools hard
By Diana Lambert and Phillip Reese - Updated: 9:40 am
Sacramento County teachers at low-performing schools were 60 percent more likely to be laid off this past year than those at higher achieving schools, according to a Bee analysis.


Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/education/#ixzz0szvTrPrS
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Philly takes precautions as heat wave looms over area | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/06/2010

Philly takes precautions as heat wave looms over area | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/06/2010

Philly takes precautions as heat wave looms over area

By Martha Woodall
Inquirer Staff Writer
With the National Weather Service calling for temperatures to reach a record-setting 100 degrees Tuesday, the Philadelphia School District has scheduled early dismissal for summer-school students and utilities will pay extra attention to the power grid.
Jim Poirier, a meteorologist at the weather service's office in Mount Holly, said the "significant heat wave" that began Sunday would result in temperatures being well over 90 degrees until at least Wednesday. The service has posted an excessive heat warning for the region.
Monday's high of 98 in Philadelphia fell short of the 100-degree record set in 1999. If the mercury reaches 100 Tuesday, it would eclipse that day's record of 98. NBC10 predicted the temperature would reach 101 Tuesday.
"This is fairly unusual, but it has happened before," Poirier said. "We're around 1999 levels."
The good news is that humidity levels have not been high. "It's more like a Western heat," he added.
The forecast prompted the Philadelphia School District to announce that the 58,000 students participating in the district's expanded summer school program, and others enrolled in summer activities in district schools, will be

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education/20100706_Philly_takes_precautions_as_heat_wave_looms_over_area.html#ixzz0szulGCvS
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New Jersey hopes to keep college students in-state
Admissions strategist Steve Goodman helped two New Jersey students with their college applications this year. Both were accepted at Rutgers, the state's largest university. Neither will attend.
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Report Card on the Schools
The Inquirer's annual survey of education in the region, with a searchable database of school and district information, and multimedia profiles of area students and high schools.

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With the dropout problem in Philadelphia at crisis proportions, a chance-of-a-lifetime program offers 40 select students a shot at breaking the cycle of failure. But can they take advantage?

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Philly takes precautions as heat wave looms over area
With the National Weather Service calling for temperatures to reach a record-setting 100 degrees Tuesday, the Philadelphia School District has scheduled early dismissal for summer-school students and utilities will pay extra attention to the power grid.

New Media charter school satisfies SRC conditions for operating charter
The New Media Technology Charter School in Northwest Philadelphia is finally getting its new operating charter. It took more than a year, but with the departure of the acting board president Wednesday night, the troubled school has satisfied 23 conditions the School Reform Commission required to renew its operating charter.

New Jersey camp inspires girls to think big
Ten-year-old Zoe Dillard, a 4-foot-tall self-proclaimed scientist, speaks confidently about a woman's role in the world and her plans to save the planet.

In a surprise, Ackerman replaces principal Saliyah Cruz at West Philly High
Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has removed Saliyah Cruz as principal of West Philadelphia High School and replaced her with the man who most recently led troubled South Philadelphia High.
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Fremont High's grand experiment begins - latimes.com

Fremont High's grand experiment begins - latimes.com

Fremont High's grand experiment begins

Fremont High's grand experiment begins

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times
The L.A. Unified campus reopens with a mostly new staff as the district attempts to address the campus' historically dismal academic results. But the approach has its critics.

Jewish organizations protest UC president's handling of reports of anti-Semitism

By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times
The groups assert that the university's reaction has been too weak. University chief Mark G. Yudof says the groups may be basing their responses on an unreliable sampling of student opinion.

Santa Monica Fourth of July Parade celebrates the national holiday and environmental advocacy.

By Ann M. Simmons, Los Angeles Times
Locals and nonresidents alike gather along Santa Monica's Main Street on Sunday to watch the parade. Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization, was the parade's grand marshal.


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Education | Seattle Schools reorganizes oversight into regions | Seattle Times Newspaper

Education | Seattle Schools reorganizes oversight into regions | Seattle Times Newspaper

Seattle Schools reorganizes oversight into regions

Seattle Public Schools on Tuesday announced a shake-up in the oversight of its 88 schools.
Seattle Public Schools on Tuesday announced a shake-up in the oversight of its 88 schools.
In the past, five instructional directors have been responsible for assessing principals and school performance. Three directors oversaw elementary schools, one oversaw middle schools and one oversaw high schools.
But a year after taking over as the district's chief academic officer, Susan Enfield has reconfigured oversight into regions. Five new "executive directors" will now oversee a geographic cluster of schools from pre-K through high school.
Just one previous director has been named to the new oversight panel: Michael Tolley, who has overseen high schools since 2007.
Two new directors have been named to the oversight panel: Phil Brockman, who has been principal of Ballard High School for the past five years; and Aurora Lora, founder and administrator of the Harriet Tubman

Washington school districts going to voters again

Some Washington voters will be asked to consider new school levies on either the August or November ballots.
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Rise & Shine: Closing HS awarded diploma to no-show student | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Closing HS awarded diploma to no-show student | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Closing HS awarded diploma to no-show student

by Philissa Cramer
News from New York City:
  • Summer school started yesterday in blistering heat but mostly with air conditioning. (NY1, Times)
  • Investigators found that the principal of PS 50 in the Bronx helped himself with contracts. (Daily News)
  • Through credit recovery, closing Lafayette HS graduated an overage student who rarely attended. (Post)
  • A city schools superintendent, Cami Anderson, is applying to open three charter schools. (Post)
  • City schools are suspending students 40 percent more than they did four years ago. (Daily News)
  • School construction workers held a boozy end-of-year party on a high school campus. (Post)
  • Nicole Suriel’s drowning death is a lot like another field trip downing that happened in 1994. (Post)
  • Fearing repercussions, Suriel’s Harlem school, is rallying to keep its administrators. (Times)
  • Economics is a central part of the curriculum at MS 223 in the South Bronx. (Wall Street Journal)
  • More on the city’s controversial move to consolidate two programs for students on Rikers Island. (Times)
  • Queens high schools make up a large proportion of those on the city’s restructuring list. (Daily News)
  • The New Teacher Project’s head says Randi Weingarten deserves credit for backing reform. (Daily News)
  • Mayor Bloomberg said the UFT is like a bad lawyer because it defended weak schools. (Daily News)
  • But recent history suggests that teachers unions are even less popular than lawyers. (NY Magazine)
  • A Democracy Prep charter school teacher says he prefers his 403B to his old pension plan. (Daily News)
And beyond:
  • Suburban Princeton, N.J., is grappling with the charter school question. (Wall Street Journal)
  • The rigorous International Baccalaureate program is a growing alternative for advanced students. (Times)
  • Fearing heckling, the Obama administration is staying away from teachers union conventions. (Times)
  • More parents are trying to avoid vaccinating their children. (Wall Street Journal)
  • A bid for mayoral control in Rochester is on the rocks without Albany’s support. (Democrat and Chronicle)
  • Kansas City schools are set to start arranging classes by ability instead of age. (AP)
  • A D.C. principal who has boosted performance has also made some enemies. (Washington Post)
  • A Los Angeles school opened yesterday under the mostly-new-staff turnaround model. (L.A. Times)

Remainders: No retirement incentive for you

by Anna Phillips
  • Mayor Bloomberg said he’s not going to offer senior teachers a retirement incentive. (Daily Politics)
  • He also said it’s likely the city will have to make more cuts. (State of Politics)
  • A Department of Education official is leaving to kick anti-gay marriage legislators out of office. (Times)
  • Bloomberg get a “D” for letting Albany compromise Klein’s charter authorizing power. (City Hall)
  • President Obama is relying on the Senate to save Race to the Top from millions in cuts. (WaPo)
  • Thirteen senators have written a letter in opposition to the cuts. (Edweek)
  • Jonathan Alter says cuts had to be made, but Obey pulled from the wrong places. (Newsweek)
  • There could be a silver lining to cutting funding from RttT: more qualified winners. (Flypaper)
  • A parent says her school is squeezed but the city says it can enroll more students. (NYC Parent blog)
  • A teacher wonders what Bill Gates will say to a teachers union convention. (NYC Educator)
  • In time for CA’s upcoming budget fight, a report says its schools are underfunded. (Educated Guess)
  • And Stephen Sawchuk promises coverage of the new teachers union conventions. (Edweek)
  • Finally, we’re extending our long weekend through Tuesday. Enjoy the break and see you next week!
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Education Overload � InterACT

Education Overload � InterACT

Education Overload

by David B. Cohen
I was feeling pretty smart last week, strolling the halls of our state capitol and talking about teacher evaluation reforms with members of our legislature. The policy report that Accomplished California Teachers published recently has been well-received, and policy makers are, as we’d hoped, asking for our input about current initiatives and future ones. I was in a follow-up meeting in my hometown, meeting in my state senator’s office on Tuesday, when his legislative director asked me if I had actually read one of the bills we had touched upon in our conversation. It wasn’t meant as a challenge, but simply a point of clarification regarding the background of our discussion. I freely admitted I hadn’t read the actual bill yet, and we continued to converse pleasantly about the issues; then, I went home to do my homework.
For teachers like me, who take an interest in political developments in education, it can become a time-
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Schools Matter: Generation of High Stakes Testing Produces the Next Generation of White Collar Thieves

Schools Matter: Generation of High Stakes Testing Produces the Next Generation of White Collar Thieves

Generation of High Stakes Testing Produces the Next Generation of White Collar Thieves

by Jim Horn
The School of Business at U. of Central Florida has a testing center that is as secure and as intrusive as a Vegas casino. The age of "accountability" has produced a generation of cheats, along with a policing system that will forever be trying to catch up with the cheating technology. The only people benefiting are the tech companies. Imagine that. From NYTimes:
ORLANDO, Fla. — The frontier in the battle to defeat student cheating may be here at the testing center of the University of Central Florida.
No gum is allowed during an exam: chewing could disguise a student’s speaking into a hands-free
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