Twitter scientist's startup school to open

Twitter scientist's startup school to open Jill Tucker, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, August 1, 2010 Print E-mail Share Comments (4) Font | Size: 22 4 0 Chad Ziemendorf / The Chronicle Head of School Ed Walters (left) and Twitter's chief scientist Abdur Chowdhury survey the new school's grounds. IMAGES View Larger Images MORE BAY AREA NEWS S.F. rally to free 3 hikers, held year in Iran 08.01.10 CRIME SCENE 08.01.10 Hearst Foundations award nonprofit grants 08.01.10 About two months ago, the chief scientist atTwitter decided he wanted his daughter to go to a school that encouraged her nightly desire to conduct science experiments on the kitchen counter, a fun place where art and math flourished in small classes. He couldn't find that school, so the scientist decided to create one. And with his daughter heading to first grade in the fall, Abdur Chowdhury wanted that school now. With six other founding families, Chowdhury found a building, hired a head of school, brought in teachers and started looking for students to attend Alta Vista School, which opens Sept. 7. "It's much like starting a startup," Chowdhury said. He added that the old adage about such endeavors at times has applied to the school: If

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Sunday links. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Sunday links.

by preaprez

If you think so-called winning states can spend their Race to the Top grant money on teacher salaries or structural deficits, you’re under a drunken delusion says School Tech Connect. The money goes to data collection. Did Obama mention that in his speech to the Urban League? Don’t think so.
In the NY Daily News, Diane Ravitch says that when the NY scores were released there was a sound of bursting

Blog U.: The OECD's AHELO: a PISA for higher education? - GlobalHigherEd - Inside Higher Ed

Blog U.: The OECD's AHELO: a PISA for higher education? - GlobalHigherEd - Inside Higher Ed

BlogU

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  The OECD's AHELO: a PISA for higher education?

  By Kris Olds August 1, 2010 9:42 am
  
  Greetings from Paris, one of the 'calculative centres' associated with the globalization of higher education. One of the key institutions associated with this development process is the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OECD/OCDE) given its work on higher education, as well as on related issues such as innovation, science and technology, and so on.
  See below for a recent presentation about the OECD’s Assessment of Higher Education Learning Outcomes (AHELO) initiative. This presentation is courtesy of Diane Lalancette, an Analyst with the AHELO initiative, OECD - Directorate for Education.
  In 'tweeting' about this presentation a few weeks ago, I detected that a few people sent it on

The Charter School Legislation | Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Charter School Legislation | Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Charter School Legislation

By TIMES DISPATCH STAFF
Published: August 01, 2010

» 0 Comments | Post a Comment

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nowBuzz up!

The 2010 proposed legislation opposed by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus would have shifted the authority to approve a charter school from a locally elected school board to the state board of education appointed by the governor. It was modified to provide for an initial application to the state board and then submission to the local board for its approval. The state board is required to provide technical assistance to applicants seeking approval of a charter school.

Legislation proposed by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell and approved by the 2010 General Assembly increases the level of state support and guidance in the development of charter schools in Virginia to ensure that local school boards receive quality charter school proposals. The legislation (HB 1390 and SB 737):

> Requires charter school applicants to submit the application to the Board of Education for a determination as to whether the application meets the board's approval criteria prior to submitting the application to the

NorthJersey.com: How is N.J. Gov. Christie doing on his 88 campaign promises?

NorthJersey.com: How is N.J. Gov. Christie doing on his 88 campaign promises?

How is N.J. Gov. Christie doing on his 88 campaign promises?

Sunday, August 1, 2010
LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY AUGUST 1, 2010, 9:30 AM

BY JOHN REITMEYER

STATE HOUSE BUREAU

STATE HOUSE BUREAU

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Governor Christie, in a fast-paced first six months on the job, has cut the budget and tax rebates, capped property tax hikes and school superintendent pay, and taken on teachers, lobbyists, lawmakers, pollsters and columnists.

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"I'm overjoyed by how things have gone the first six months," Christie told The Record's editorial board in a recent interview.
The governor, however, also concedes that he still has "plenty to do," and that now is "no time for self congratulations at all."
Last year, Christie's campaign made public the "88 Ways Chris Christie Will Fix New Jersey," a list of promises that covered state finances, education, energy, ethics, cities and jobs.
Christie has come through on many of his campaign promises – such as cutting employee benefits and reviewing the effectiveness of state regulations. Some promises are works in progress — including making finances at all levels of

The Problems with Charter Schools in Petersburg | Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Problems with Charter Schools in Petersburg | Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Problems with Charter Schools in Petersburg

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» Article: The Charter School Legislation

By HENRY L. MARSH III | TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
Published: August 01, 2010

» 1 Comment | Post a Comment

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nowBuzz up!Richmond, Va. --

Recently, Gov. Bob McDonnell and Virginia Secretary of Education Gerard Robinson expressed their intent to establish a charter school in Petersburg, a city I am honored and proud to represent in the State Senate. This intent has been expressed through public remarks, in statements accompanying bill signings, and to the press, without consulting city government officials, the leadership of the Petersburg school system, or the citywide PTA.

During the 2010 session of the General Assembly, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus -- consisting of 18 members of the General Assembly -- took a formal position opposing charter schools, based in part on the following concepts:

•The opportunity for every child to succeed is a fundamental tenet of public education.

•On average, charter schools are no more successful than traditional public schools.

•Charter schools are largely run by private entities at the public's expense and with increasingly little oversight.

It is often stated that education is the civil rights issue of our time. Lest we forget the pivotal role that the

2010 Presidents Conference Press Conference

California Latino Youth Leadership Project 2010

Pitt study among those to find poverty impacts function #Education News.org #edu

EducationNews.org

EducationNews Today

Pitt study among those to find poverty impacts function 8.1.10 - Peter Gianaros of the University of Pittsburgh is researching the effect of poverty on the developing brain using brain imaging. A classic public service ad showed a man holding an egg and saying, "This is your brain," and then dropping its contents into a sizzling frying pan and saying, "This is your brain on drugs." The sound of bubbles bursting: Student gains on state test vanished into thin air 8.1.10 - Diane Ravitch - Every year for the past four years, the New York State Education Department has announced dramatic test score gains. And every year, it turns out they were misrepresenting reality. This year, New Yorkers got an accurate accounting of student performance, and it was sobering.... Julia Steiny: When rules open doors and anti-social students engage 8.1.10 - This is the first of two columns about lessons learned at "alternative schools" for troubled youth in Pennsylvania. The Lansdale School, in Montgomery County, is a remodeled commercial space, supplemented by a couple of portable classrooms - no frills. ... $200 Textbook vs. Free. You Do the Math. 8.1.10 - Scott G. McNealy, with his 12-year-old son, Dakota. Mr. McNealy is trying to bring open-source textbooks to classrooms, from kindergarten to high school. Two founders of Sun Microsystems have created two nonprofits to bring open-source textbooks to kindergarten through high school classes. ...

Commentaries

Are we losing the magic; Do we really need highly motivated, innovative and resourceful teachers in today's classroom? 8.1.10 - Charles P. Brickman, NBCT - In the not too distant past highly motivated, innovative and resourceful teachers were especially appreciated and valued for their ability to bring the "magic" to the classroom. The "magic" of course, was the ability to motivate students to learn through innovative and resourceful applications of curriculum and subject matter that met the academic and learner readiness needs of their students. Five Questions Every Parent Should Ask 8.1.10 - On this week's Dropout Nation Podcast, RiShawn Biddle offers advice to parents and other caregivers on how to improve education for their children through a few simple questions.

The Educated Guess � LAUSD,Oakland may not get turnaround grants

The Educated Guess � LAUSD,Oakland may not get turnaround grants

LAUSD,Oakland may not get turnaround grants

Posted in State Board of Education, Turning around failing schools

Food-fight alert: Los Angeles, Oakland and Stockton unifieds are among the school districts that would get not a penny to turn around their lowest-performing schools, while most other districts – San Francisco, Fresno and San Bernadino among them – would get all or nearly full funding for all of their schools on the 113-school list.
The state Department of Education posted its recommendations late Friday (question that timing) – for the State Board of Education, which has final say over the funding, to consider on Monday. Big money is at stake – between $150,000 to $6 million per school over three years so, expect the losers to complain loudly at the meeting (if officials are not on vacation and are alerted to show up) about the method that the state and the federal Department of Education chose.
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By John Fensterwald on July 31st, 2010

Common core – a commissioner’s dissent

Posted in Common Core standards

Yesterday, I recommended that the State Board of Education on Monday approve the recommendation of the majority of the California State Academic Standards Commission to approve the common-core standards. Ze’ev Wurman was one of two commissioners to vote against the standards. He has asked for one last chance to explain why.

By Ze’ev Wurman

Commissioner, California State Academic Standards Commission

A journalist has the same right to misinterpret motives as anyone else, so I will not enter into argument with John on that (smile). But I will describe the dilemma that the Academic Content Standards Commission (ACSC) faced in a different way. This being a Silicon Valley forum, I will use a few simple engineering terms.
The legislature asked the ACSC to examine if using 100% of Common Core plus limited (up to 15%) supplementation will be able to “Ensure that the rigor of the state’s reading, writing, and mathematics academic content standards, curricula, and assessments is maintained” (SB5X 1). The Governor, State Board of Education president, and Superintendent of Public Instruction, also charged us to verify that they “meet or exceed our own” (May 2009 letter).
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By admin on July 31st, 2010

Better or worse off with common core?

Posted in Common Core standards

The announcement that California is a finalist for Race to the Top all but guarantees that the State Board of Education will adopt common core standards, as amended, in English language arts and math when it meets Monday. The state would sacrifice 40 out of 500 points on its application if it didn’t – and any chance of winning up to $700 million.
California is hardly alone among states adopting national standards to meet the feds’ artificial Aug. 2 deadline to stay in the running – even though the $700 million that the state could get from common core will be dwarfed by the long-term cost of new textbooks, teacher training, testing and curriculum creation. But never mind; the rush is on, and the State Board is boxed in: It only can vote the intact standards up or down.
Still, before they adopt the national standards, as augmented and recommendedby the State Academic Content Standards Commission, state board members should pause and answer this critical question:
Five years after the adoption of common core math, what will be the impact on eighth graders?
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