Loch Arbour requests to join Ocean Township regional school district in effort to cut costs | NJ.com

Loch Arbour requests to join Ocean Township regional school district in effort to cut costs | NJ.com

Loch Arbour requests to join Ocean Township regional school district in effort to cut costs

Published: Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 8:11 PM Updated: Tuesday, July 13, 2010, 8:13 PM

MaryAnn Spoto/The Star-Ledger
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LOCH ARBOUR — Trying to force the state to revise its funding formula before the start of the new school year, Loch Arbour has asked to become part of a regional school district.

To no avail, the tiny oceanfront community — which has the highest per-student cost in New Jersey — has gone to court and petitioned the state for financial relief from a second year of education costs that have doubled and tripled property tax bills.

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Local officials e-mail letters weekly to Monmouth County Schools Superintendent Carole Morris asking for an update on their request to break up the district. And weekly they’re given the standard answer: The state is gathering information. Please be patient.

"In the meantime, we’re dying a slow death. We’re bleeding money and no one seems to care," said Loch Arbour trustees president Betty McBain. "When you say one of your towns is paying $80,000 per student, that doesn’t make anyone sit up and take notice?"

Loch Arbour’s troubles started three years ago when the state Legislature under then-Gov. Jon Corzine abolished a school funding agreement between Loch Arbour, which has no schools, and

Newark students learn about daily life in Ghana via teleconference

By Meredith Galante / The Star-Ledger

July 13, 2010, 6:13PM

Teens in Newark, Ghanna learn about everyday life in another part of the world Full story »

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N.J. teacher retirement applications more than double amid budget cuts

By The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

July 12, 2010, 6:55AM

More than 5,400 teachers have filed retirement papers this month Full story »

The Tyra Show - Project Working Mom

The Tyra Show - Project Working Mom

NYC Public School Parents: Mona Davids to Joel Klein: comply with the new charter school law, now!

NYC Public School Parents

Independent voices of New York City public school parents

NYC Public School Parents: Mona Davids to Joel Klein: comply with the new charter school law, now!

Mona Davids to Joel Klein: comply with the new charter school law, now!

by Leonie Haimson

From: Mona Davids [mailto:mdavids@nycharterparents.org]
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 2:18 PM
To: jklein@schools.nyc.gov

Subject: Revised Charter Schools Act
Importance: High

RE: Implementation of Reforms in the Revised Charter Schools Act

Dear Chancellor Klein,

I am writing to formally request that the New York City Dept. of Education implement the provisions in the new

Newark students learn about daily life in Ghana via teleconference | NJ.com

Newark students learn about daily life in Ghana via teleconference | NJ.com

Newark students learn about daily life in Ghana via teleconference

By Meredith Galante / The Star-Ledger

July 13, 2010, 6:13PM

For 2 hours, teens in Merck Institute on Bioethics at Rutgers Newark learn about students in Ghana, and how everyday life differs Full story »

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N.J. teacher retirement applications more than double amid budget cuts

By The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk

July 12, 2010, 6:55AM

More than 5,400 teachers have filed retirement papers this month Full story »

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Rutgers University saves agriculture school costs with Delaware cow herd partnership

By The Associated Press

July 12, 2010, 5:31AM

BURLINGTON, Vt. — The fields and long red barns at the University of Vermont will soon house fewer cows as low milk prices, high costs and budget cuts have forced the university to sell its herd. Other institutions, including Rutgers University, are doing the same, have found other ways to cut costs, as high feed, fuel and labor prices... Full story »

Free Technology for Teachers: Shmoop - Making Learning Digestible

FREE RESOURCES AND LESSON PLANS FOR TEACHING WITH TECHNOLOGY

Free Technology for Teachers: Shmoop - Making Learning Digestible

Shmoop - Making Learning Digestible

by noreply@blogger.com (Mr. Byrne)

At ISTE 2010 I had the opportunity to meet with Ellen Siminoff, President and CEO of Shmoop. Shmoop, as I've mentioned before, is a provider of free and fee-based learning guides for Literature, Civics, US History, Music, Biographies, and recently added Economics learning guides.

Prior to my meeting with Siminoff I was already a fan of Shmoop as evident by the fact that I link to it from my classroom blog. After my meeting with Siminoff I was convinced that Shmoop has some good ideas about designing learning guides for students. Shmoop's primary goals, according to Siminoff is to make learning as digestible and as mobile as possible. To that end Shmoop designs all of their learning guides to be consumed in chunks rather than in one sitting. Shmoop has also made their learning guides

Turnover continues at the Department of Ed’s press shop | GothamSchools

Turnover continues at the Department of Ed’s press shop | GothamSchools

Turnover continues at the Department of Ed’s press shop

by Anna Phillips

Well, that was fast. It hasn’t been two weeks since the Department of Education said goodbye to its press secretary and now it’s about to wish another member of the truth squad farewell.
Much like a retired teacher, press deputy Danny Kanner is headed to Florida. After eight months in Tweed, he’s leaving to become Governor Charlie Crist’s spokesman in his bid for a U.S. Senate seat. Kanner won’t be straying too far from education issues, as they’ve already become a major part of Crist’s campaign.
In April, Crist made headlines when he decided to veto a bill that would have given teachers one-year contracts,

Remainders: Condom couture is in at Midwood HS

by Philissa Cramer

• Midwood High School students dress themselves in condoms, for the sake of fashion. (City Limits)
• Bill Gates and Chancellor Joel Klein teamed up on school reform at the Aspen Ideas Festival. (WSJ)
• A Brooklyn teen who died after a drinking binge was an A student at Grover Cleveland HS. (Daily News)
• Restauranteur and public school parent Bill Telepan is working to remake school lunches. (CBS)
• A Dallas journalist recounts his visit to two NYC schools that share a building. (Tod Robberson)
• Late Yankees announcer Bob Sheppard chaired the speech department at John Adams HS. (Times)
• The showdown over the edujobs bill highlights disarray within the Democratic Party. (Politico)
• The bill’s toll on Race to the Top might not be a big deal, since RttT is so darn big. (Flypaper)
• A journalist asks whether portable classrooms are really as bad as some say. (The Educated Reporter)
• Add school budgets to the list of casualties of BP’s Gulf Coast oil spill. (EdWeek)
• It’s official: Lehman High School is getting metal detectors. (Bronx Times Reporter)

Push to make tests harder finds a critic in Buffalo schools chief

by Maura Walz

State education officials are responding to widespread calls to make state tests more difficult. But they’re getting some harsh criticism from a surprising corner: the head of the Buffalo school system.
As Education Commissioner David Steiner and Deputy Commissioner John King travel around New York explaining their plans to overhaul the state exams, they’ve largely met with support. In New York City, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has called for tougher exams. But last week, Buffalo School Superintendent James

Schools Matter: Hustlers and High Rollers: Not Just Wall Street

Schools Matter: Hustlers and High Rollers: Not Just Wall Street

Hustlers and High Rollers: Not Just Wall Street

by skrashen

Hustlers and High Rollers: Not Just Wall Street
Sent to the NY Times, July 12, 2010

Bob Herbert ("Outside the Casino," 7/12) notes that Wall Street "hustlers and high rollers" are doing well, while schools are cutting services, including libraries.

Federal education policy will have the same effect: Education Secretary Duncan plans to spend billions on new standards and tests, increasing testing far beyond the currently unreasonable levels. There is no scientific evidence that this will help students, but it will help the "hustlers and high rollers" in the publishing industry: Along with new standards and tests come new textbooks linked to tests.

In contrast, there is substantial evidence showing that programs that have been weakened are effective: For

Regressions and Growth � The Quick and the Ed

Regressions and Growth � The Quick and the Ed

Regressions and Growth

by Chad Aldeman

Slogans about education accountability–stop teaching to the test! hold the adults responsible!–are a lot easier to figure out than actually, you know, sitting down and devising a system of rewards and punishments so that schools are given clear guideposts about what to improve on and how to do it. Example 10,427 comes from Texas.
One of the strongest critiques of No Child Left Behind’s annual testing and proficiency targets was that they didn’t sufficiently account for students who made significant progress but still remained below. A student who started at far below grade level could substantial academic gains but still fall short. The school would not be given credit for this progress, or growth, and could face sanctions because of it (the law does contain a “safe harbor” provision for sub-groups that make significant annual gains, but that tracks the progress of schools and sub-groups within schools, not individual students).
In response, the Department of Education launched a pilot growth model program that allowed states to come up with their own definitions of growth. States like Iowa created a relatively simple model that essentially created more levels than just the one existing proficiency bar. If students jumped from one level to a higher one, they would be considered proficient, even if they remained short of the eventual target. They had three years to complete their growth and be on grade level. The image below comes from an evaluation of the pilot program (.pdf), and it shows how Iowa’s tier system works (click on it to make it larger).

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Measure the wrong thing, get the wrong thing

Cool Cat Teacher Blog: Measure the wrong thing, get the wrong thing

Measure the wrong thing, get the wrong thing

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

Creativity is Declining?
Hat tip to my dear friend Maggie Tsai, cofounder of Diigo for pointing me to Newsweek's article on the creativity crisis.

For the first time in history, American creativity is declining.

"The correlation to lifetime creative accomplishment was more than three times stronger for childhood creativity than childhood IQ."

Read the article. Share it in your groups and discuss. I haven't slogged through everything, but will say that -- if

Letters to the editor on the verdict in an Oakland shooting case; an L.A. school's education experiment; and food stamps for the elderly. - latimes.com

Letters to the editor on the verdict in an Oakland shooting case; an L.A. school's education experiment; and food stamps for the elderly. - latimes.com

L.A. school district replaces first principal of new downtown arts campus By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times Officials announced that Suzanne Blake, who led Central Los Angeles High School #9 during its inaugural year, would be transferred and replaced by an administrator from Franklin High. Obituary: Alfonso B. Perez dies at 91; pioneered special education in L.A. schools By Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times Perez also guided his alma mater, Roosevelt High, during a tense period of Chicano protest. On the verdict in an Oakland shooting case; an L.A. school's education experiment; and food stamps for the elderly

EDUCATION Headlines from L.A. Now Second lawsuit seeks billions more for California schools07/12/2010, 9:30 a.m. Low-achieving Fremont High reopens; most of its teachers are new07/06/2010, 4:31 p.m. UC president in unusual public dispute with several American Jewish groups07/06/2010, 3:24 p.m. Monica Garcia to serve fourth year as L.A. Unified board president07/01/2010, 1:54 p.m. Teachers, charters, others to bid for 17 new or struggling L.A. Unified campuses07/01/2010, 1:09 p.m. More potential for problems with L.A. Unified's payroll system, grand jury says06/30/2010, 2:27 p.m. More ...

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Lady Liberty Academy Charter School

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Lady Liberty Academy Charter School

Lady Liberty Academy Charter School

by The Perimeter Primate

Letter from the NJ ACLU to the Executive Director of Lady Liberty Academy Charter School in Newark, New Jersey (June 4, 2010)

Re: Lady Liberty Academy Charter School; Open Government Violations
Dear Mr. Pinder,
The American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (“ACLU-NJ”) was recently contacted by an anonymous requester of public records about the open government practices of the Lady Liberty Academy Charter School (“Lady Liberty”). Since that time, the ACLU-NJ has been monitoring various requests for public documents submitted to the school and has reviewed the responses provided. I am writing to inform you that Lady Liberty has violated several provisions of the Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”), N.J.S.A. 42:1A-1 et seq. and the Open Public Meetings Act (“OPMA”), N.J.S.A. 10:4-6 et seq., and appears to have taken affirmative steps to obstruct access to public information.
Since the ACLU-NJ was first contacted in February 2010, we have heard from various sources about the disconcerting open government practices of Lady Liberty, including that requests for public records, such as Board of Trustees (“Board”) meeting minutes or school policies, are

Important Default Rate Truths � The Quick and the Ed

Important Default Rate Truths � The Quick and the Ed

Important Default Rate Truths

by Ben Miller

I can’t recommend enough Kelly Field’s excellent piece on the front of this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education about the true story of long-term default rates (and not just because Erin and Robin’s report on this topic gets a mention). What Field turns up isn’t pretty:

According to unpublished data obtained by The Chronicle, one in every five government loans that entered repayment in 1995 has gone into default. The default rate is higher for loans made to students from two-year colleges, and higher still, reaching 40 percent, for those who attended for-profit institutions.

We’ve known from other Department documents that default rates were always higher than expected, but to see it laid out in such clear terms is worth the read by itself. But there are three other things about the story (and theaccompanying piece from Goldie Blumenstyk) that are worth highlighting.

Lots of Complexity

Over the past decade or so the Department of Education successfully established a complex and opaque

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.

• How effective are mandatory random drug testing programs on high school students’ drug use?(Institute of Education Sciences)
• Why is charter school governance, which might seem like a snoozer, actually a critical issue? Sara Mead’s take on her new Ed Week blog. (Sara Mead’s Policy Notebook)
• Corporal punishment making a comeback? Not in Memphis at least. (The Commercial Appeal)
• What’s the College and Career Association’s legislative strategy for dealing with increased scrutiny on proprietary schools from Congress? (Higher Ed Watch)

A Reformer's Argument for Cutting Race to Top - Politics K-12 - Education Week

A Reformer's Argument for Cutting Race to Top - Politics K-12 - Education Week

A Reformer's Argument for Cutting Race to Top

by Michele McNeil

The pros and cons of Congress' proposal to trim $500 million from Race to the Top to fund edujobs have sparked quite the discussion on this blog.
Most of the commenters seem to think edujobs is a far better use of taxpayer money than Race to the Top.
But here's one interesting argument in favor of cutting Race to the Top, and not for obvious reasons. Mike Petrilli over at Flypaper says that to leave Race to the Top Round 2 at a bloated $3.4 billion forces Education Secretary Arne Duncan to fund some very mediocre proposals. And that's not very reform-y at all. In fact, Petrilli isn't a fan