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Thursday, July 22, 2010

Mass. lawmakers OK bill targeting school food - Boston.com

Mass. lawmakers OK bill targeting school food - Boston.com

Mass. lawmakers OK bill targeting school food


July 22, 2010
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BOSTON—Massachusetts lawmakers have sent to Gov. Deval Patrick a bill designed to encourage healthier food options in the state's elementary and high schools.
Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo said on Thursday that the goal of the bill is to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity.
The bill requires schools to adhere to nutritional guidelines for foods and beverages sold to students outside of the federal meal program.

No Visa, No School, Many New York Districts Say - NYTimes.com

No Visa, No School, Many New York Districts Say - NYTimes.com

No Visa, No School, Many New York Districts Say




Three decades after the Supreme Court ruled that immigrationviolations cannot be used as a basis to deny children equal access to a public school education, one in five school districts in New York State is routinely requiring a child’s immigration papers as a prerequisite to enrollment, or asking parents for information that only lawful immigrants can provide.
Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
The State Department of Education in Albany. The Constitution guarantees a public education even to children here illegally.
The New York Civil Liberties Union, which culled a list of 139 such districts from hundreds of registration forms and instructions posted online, has not found any children turned away for lack of immigration paperwork. But it warned in a letter to the state’s education commissioner on Wednesday that the requirements listed by many registrars, however free of discriminatory intent, “will inevitably discourage families from enrolling in school for fear that they would be reported to federal immigration authorities.”
For months, the group has been pushing the StateEducation Department to stop the practices, which range from what the advocates consider unintentional barriers, like requiring a Social Security number, to those the letter called “blatantly discriminatory,” like one demanding that noncitizen children show a “resident alien card,” with the warning that “if the card is expired, it will not be accepted.”
But the Education Department has resisted doing anything to address the issue directly, in contrast with several other states — including Maryland, Nebraska and New Jersey — where education officials have taken strong steps in recent years to halt similar practices.
“It is the responsibility of each local school district to ensure that it complies with all laws and decisions regarding student registration,” Jonathan Burman, a spokesman for the




Failure to Communicate

THE ODD COUPLE Ryan Melson, left, and Matt Blumenreich in their room at Grinnell College in Iowa. Mr. Melson is the neat one.
Mark Kegans for The New York Times
THE ODD COUPLE Ryan Melson, left, and Matt Blumenreich in their room at Grinnell College in Iowa. Mr. Melson is the neat one.
A masking tape line down the middle of the dorm room? Texting beats talking.
The State Department of Education in Albany. The Constitution guarantees a public education even to children here illegally.

Despite Ruling, Many School Districts Ask for Immigration Papers

Civil liberties advocates have unsuccessfully asked the Education Department to stop localities from imposing enrollment barriers on immigrant children, intentionally or not.

Oakland Schools Struggle, but Emeryville May Point a Way Up

Superintendent Tony Smith of the Oakland schools has a five-year plan to turn the system around, and it’s based on his success in the nearby Emeryville district.

A Tougher Conflict Policy at Harvard Medical School

Professors will now be prohibited from giving paid speeches for the makers of medical devices or drugs or accepting gifts, travel or meals.

Many States Adopt National Standards for Their Schools

States that accept the standards by Aug. 2 win points in the Obama administration’s Race to the Top competition for a share of the $3.4 billion to be awarded in September.

For Portland schools, new plan means layoffs, but not as many as feared | OregonLive.com

For Portland schools, new plan means layoffs, but not as many as feared | OregonLive.com

For Portland schools, new plan means layoffs, but not as many as feared

Published: Thursday, July 22, 2010, 6:55 PM Updated: Thursday, July 22, 2010, 8:15 PM
Staffing cuts by school
K-5 schools
Abernathy, 0.26 position
Ainsworth, 0.96
Alameda, 1.08
Atkinson, 0.66
Bridlemile, 0.77
Buckman, 0.69
Capitol Hill, 0.44
Chapman, 0.67
Chief Joseph, 0.43
Duniway, 0.71
Forest Park, 0.63
Glencoe, 0.78
Grout, 0.43
James John, 0.47
Lewis, 0.47
Llewellyn, 0.66
Maplewood, 0.60
Markham, 0.46
Richmond, 1.08
Rieke, 0.69
Rosa Parks, 1.05
Sitton, 0.37
Stephenson, 0.44
Whitman, 0.45
Woodmere, 0.65
Woodstock, 0.69
Total, 16.60

K-8 schools
Astor, 0.90 position
Beach, 1.07
Boise-Eliot, 0.56
Clarendon-Portsmouth, 0.63
Harrison Park, 1.07
Creston, 0.46
Creative Science, 2.05
Faubion, 1.22
Hayhurst, 0.73
Beverly Cleary, 0.75
Irvington, 0.70
Laurelhurst, 1.65
Lee, 0.80
Lent, 0.62
Marysville, 1.42
Peninsula, 0.49
Rigler, 1.94
Roseaway Heights, 0.74
Sabin, 0.79
Scott, 1.72
Skyline, 0.42
Sunnyside, 1.02
Vernon, 1.61
Winterhaven, 0.48
Woodlawn, 0.47
Total, 23.82

Middle schools

Beaumont, 0.56 position
Da Vinci, 1.43
Gray, 0.46
Jackson, 1.16
Lane, 1.29
Mt. Tabor, 0.86
Sellwood, 0.91
West Sylvan, 1.78
Total, 8.20

High schools
Benson, 4.09
Cleveland, 1.53
Grant, 1.37
Lincoln, 2.03
Pauling Academy, 1.20
Renaissance Arts Academy, 1.50
RAA Marshall Campus, 2.69
Wilson, 1.05
Total, 12.23

Alternative schools
Alliance, 0.82
ACCESS, 0.41
MLC, 0.61
Total, 1.84

Spared schools:Kelly, George, Jefferson, Biz Tech,
Roosevelt, Bridger, Humboldt, King,
Ockley Green

Schools adding staff
Hosford, +0.24 position
Franklin, +0.61
Vestal, +0.2
Arelta, +0.48
The Portland School District has announced specifics of its staff-cutting plan, spreading the pain far and wide but protecting the most challenged schools. As expected, high schools are generally being asked to cut the most.


The plan, released Wednesday night, will cut the equivalent of 139 full-time positions this coming school year, including the equivalent of 62 teaching jobs spread among 71 schools. In addition, the district will trim 52 special education and English as a Second Language positions, plus 25 in the central office.

Schools such as Jefferson High, George Middle and Humboldt Elementary, meanwhile, won't have to cut staff at all. An additional lucky

In nationwide actions, hundreds arrested in civil disobedience for hotel workers rights. � Fred Klonsky's blog

In nationwide actions, hundreds arrested in civil disobedience for hotel workers rights. � Fred Klonsky's blog

In nationwide actions, hundreds arrested in civil disobedience for hotel workers rights.

JULY 22, 2010
by preaprez
Organized by Unite Here, 600 sat down on Wacker Drive in front of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago. Hundreds more b0re witness.

Schools Matter: Movers and Shakers

Schools Matter: Movers and Shakers

Movers and Shakers

Dan Katzir is leaving his position at the Broad Foundation. LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines will step down from his post next year. Might deputy superintendent John Deasy, a former deputy director of education at the Gates Foundation recently hired b