In California, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse State - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com

In California, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse State - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com

July 15, 2010, 5:00 PM

In California, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse State

By RACHEL GROSS

Which college in the United States gets the most applicants? It’s not Harvard or Yale; it’s the University of California, Los Angeles.

The urban campus, the most selective in the 10-campus system, received 57,578 freshman applications for fall 2010, though less than a quarter of those got in. Systemwide, a record 100,000 students applied as freshmen this year, according to a new admissions report presented by the university this week.

But for a public school in a state that faces significant challenges in financing higher education, numbers like

At School in Harlem, Resentment Over Girl’s Drowning on a Field Trip

By JENNIFER MEDINA

After a teacher was fired and administrators were disciplined at Columbia Secondary School, some staff members are unhappy.

Teacher Fired Over Field-Trip Drowning of Girl, 12

By JENNIFER MEDINA

An investigation found the trip was poorly planned and said a chaperon should have noticed there were no lifeguards on the beach.

•  Document: Special Commissioner's Letter (pdf)

On Facebook, Telling Teachers How Much They Meant

By SUSAN FEINSTEIN

People who have been out of school for decades are expressing sentiments they dared not express in their youth.

Overhaul or cosmetic makeover? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Overhaul or cosmetic makeover? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Overhaul or cosmetic makeover?

by Benjamin Herold on Jul 16 2010

• 
  
  COMMENTS (0)PRINT
• 
  
  EMAIL

With $3 million in privately donated funds at its disposal, Mastery Charter hoped to dramatically upgrade the facilities in each of its threeRenaissance schools before the start of the new school year.

But with some of the Renaissance school buildings needing major overhauls in order to address decades of neglect, even Mastery’s $1 million per school might not be enough to create the dramatic new beginnings that have been promised to students and parents.

And with only six weeks until the start of school, the District and its four Renaissance providers, which will convert seven District schools to charters in September, are still negotiating contractual details. So far, there are few firm answers to the most important questions about when and how the most challenging facilities issues at the Renaissance schools will be addressed.

Despite the confusion and the rapidly tightening timeline, Mastery CEO Scott Gordon is adamant that Harrity, Mann and Smedley Elementary Schools will feel different in September.

“We will get this job done. We’ll find a way,” said Gordon. “We made a commitment to parents that we will improve all of those schools to the tune of about $1 million

Enrollment grows at saved high schools, but not by much | GothamSchools

Enrollment grows at saved high schools, but not by much | GothamSchools

Enrollment grows at saved high schools, but not by much

by Anna Phillips

Enrollment numbers at high schools that the city had targeted for closure are on the rise, but still far below past years’ levels.
After a judge’s ruling postponed closures at 19 schools — 14 of them high schools — many of the schools began reporting that they were severely under-enrolled. Metropolitan Corporate Academy had eight incoming ninth graders and Jamaica High School in Queens had 23 — a number so low the school’s principal doubted he’d be able to have a freshman class. Now that the city has completed its second round of high school placements, more students are set to enter these schools next year.
But the numbers are still extremely low. While there are now 23 students enrolled at Metropolitan Corporate Academy, the school traditionally saw an incoming freshman class of between 70 and 100 students. Many of these schools still have enrollments too low for them to support a ninth grade program. If the city does not assign them more students, they could be forced to phase out their ninth grades, skirting the court’s ruling that the schools should remain intact.
A spokesman for the Department of Education said the city expects the enrollment numbers to climb.
Roughly 500 students who were given a choice between a saved school and another school have yet to inform

QUICK Hits: Earthquake! Edition � The Quick and the Ed

QUICK Hits: Earthquake! Edition � The Quick and the Ed

QUICK Hits: Earthquake! Edition

by Forrest Hinton

This morning, a 3.6 magnitude earthquake—the largest in the area since geophysicists began tracking recordings in the 1970s—shook Washington, D.C. awake. Today’s special edition of QUICK Hits reflects this rare shake-up.

Image from BBC

• When Harvard decides to make finals optional, will the reactions hit 5.6 on the Richter scale? (Flypaper)
• What’s that rumbling in the distance? Could it be the sound of university teachers complaining that their students don’t know how to write? (Community College Spotlight)
• Could the tectonic plates be shifting as Georgia voters say they’ll support higher taxes for better schools? (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
• Should politicians who oppose ed reform be quaking? A new poll shows some revealing results. (Alliance for Excellent Education)

Blair Levin and J. Erik Garr - A new America through broadband #education

Blair Levin and J. Erik Garr - A new America through broadband

A new America through broadband

Students use laptops at the School of the Future, created by Microsoft and the Philadelphia school district. (Matt Rourke/associated Press)

Network News XPROFILE View More Activity TOOLBOX Resize Print E-mail Yahoo! Buzz Reprints COMMENT 11 Comments | View All » POST A COMMENT You must be logged in to leave a comment.Log in | Register Why Do I Have to Log In Again? Discussion Policy WHO'S BLOGGING » Links to this article

By Blair Levin and J. Erik Garr

Friday, July 16, 2010

The Texas State Board of Education voted in May to adopt a controversial set of guidelines for social studies and history textbooks. Countless hours of debate and indignation -- and countless words in newspapers and on blogs -- were dedicated to such questions as whether Texas schools should teach about theContract With America and John Calvin.

These issues are important to get right. But the debate misses a more important question: Why are we still using ink-on-paper textbooks, when digital technology offers a much better way?
Today, Johnny opens his math textbook and reads a chapter. He understands parts of it, but not all. He does the 10-question homework on paper and hands it in. Later, he gets the homework back and sees that he answered seven questions correctly.
Envision this: Johnny pulls up a math chapter on his e-reader. When he doesn't understand something, he clicks a link and watches a video of a great teacher presenting the concept, perhaps using a cool simulation. If Johnny still doesn't understand, he can chat online with a tutor familiar with the material. When Johnny does his homework on his e-reader, he immediately learns what he got wrong and sees an explanation based on his particular mistake. Johnny's parents receive a text or e-mail saying that he finished his math homework. The teacher receives a report that evening outlining what the class found straightforward and which problems puzzled students, along with suggestions on how to address the inadequacies. The school board receives data that lead to constant improvement in the effectiveness of course material.
Replacing textbooks with e-readers would create a platform that lets students learn as much as they can, as fast as they can. The teacher is freed from drudgery, such as correcting homework, and given the tools to teach more effectively. Parents and school

19 city schools city blocked from closing barely have enough kids enrolled to stay open: Bloomberg

19 city schools city blocked from closing barely have enough kids enrolled to stay open: Bloomberg

BY ADAM LISBERG AND RACHEL MONAHAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Friday, July 16th 2010, 2:47 PM

RELATED NEWS

• Bloomberg angry court blocks closures of failing schools
• Manhattan Supreme Court saved 19 schools, Education Department plays musical chairs with new schools
• Courts fail the kids again: Mayor wrongly stopped from closing bad schools
• Judge sides with teachers; halts city plan to close 19 schools
• Teachers union like a bad attorney, Mike rails

Some of the 19 failing schools that the city was blocked from closing will have barely enough students to stay open anyway, Mayor Bloomberg said Friday.

Speaking Friday morning on his weekly WOR-AM radio show, Bloomberg confirmed what city Education Department officials have repeatedly denied about the schools, which were kept open by a lawsuit.

"Some of these schools are going to have 20 people," said Bloomberg. "And if there's only 20 students, most of the teachers and the staff is not going to be there because the schools get funded based on the number of kids."

The mayor also took aim at parents who supported keeping the schools open - and who send their children to the low-performing schools.

"If your logic is such that you want your kids to go to a bad school, you need an education," he said.

A lawsuit by the teacher's union and the NAACP blocked the city from closing the schools

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/07/16/2010-07-16_19_city_schools_city_blocked_from_closing_barely_have_enough_kids_enrolled_to_st.html?r=ny_local/education#ixzz0tsJ2NL9k

In case you missed it: Dissension within groups and...Megan Fox? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

In case you missed it: Dissension within groups and...Megan Fox? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

In case you missed it: Dissension within groups and...Megan Fox?

by Jamie Raver on Jul 16 2010 Posted in In case you missed it

• 
  
  COMMENTS (0)PRINT
• 
  
  EMAIL

The Democrats' education debacle Politico
Dissension continues to mount between Democrats over the proposed budget cuts to Obama's Race to the Top fund.

See also: Campaign 2010: Reformy Types Just Don't Get It This Week In Education

New Evaluation Laws Split Teachers Even More NPR
Many states are implementing new policies that determine teacher pay based on student performance. Will the policies establish healthy competition and higher test scores, or is it another step in the downward spiral of education?

See also: Gates Foundation playing pivotal role in changes for education system Washington Post

Is 2010 the year of the education documentary? USA Today

Eduwonk � Blog Archive � Friday Fish Porn

Eduwonk � Blog Archive � Friday Fish Porn

Friday Fish Porn

by arotherham

I’ve been traveling a lot of Fridays and the queue is getting long. I’ve got Whitmire, Wallerstein, and some others coming. But today is another fishing W: Will Marshall.
Among other roles Will is the founder of the Progressive Policy Institute and blogs at Progressive Fix. I’m a PPI alum as are some other folks kicking around the education space today in classrooms, government, and NGOs/social ventures. He’s also finishing up service on the D.C. Public Charter School Board where he was a

Irreconcilable Differences on Student Testing | Intercepts

Irreconcilable Differences on Student Testing | Intercepts

Irreconcilable Differences on Student Testing

by Mike Antonucci

Few things can start up an argument faster than the role of student standardized tests. They are blamed for narrowing the curriculum and giving the public a false perception of the state of public education. Some think they should be used to evaluate teachers and establish pay scales. Others decry their use even as a measure to evaluate student performance – unless the scores rise.
There are a lot of very smart people out there trying to bring these sides together to craft some sort of system or compromise that would allow student scores to be factored into evaluations of teachers and schools, without losing sight of the many variables that enter into student outcomes. In some locations, they have even succeeded.
I think they are wasting their time.
The debate over performance pay is a good example. Statements from the National Education Association consistently mention opposition to the practice “based on student test scores.” Proponents then figure if they