Friday, September 24, 2010

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Gov. Christie arrive at studio for taping of 'Oprah' show | NJ.com

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Gov. Christie arrive at studio for taping of 'Oprah' show

Published: Friday, September 24, 2010, 9:09 AM Updated: Friday, September 24, 2010, 9:29 AM

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Andrew Mills/The Star-LedgerNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie leaves the Four Seasons Chicago Hotel en route to the studios of the Oprah Winfrey show to appear with Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.

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CHICAGO — Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the new and unexpected benefactor of the Newark schools system, just arrived at Oprah Winfrey's TV studio in Chicago in advance of the impending announcement that he will be donating $100M to reform the beleaguered school system.

Wearing a gray t-shirt and blue jeans, Zuckerberg stepped out of a black Lincoln SUV and moved quickly into side door at the headquarters of Winfrey's Harpo productions. A few minutes earlier, Gov. Chris Christie emerged from the Four Seasons Hotel a short distance from the studio, also on his way to the show. Newark Mayor Cory Booker is also planning to attend the

The long-awaited public education documentary “Waiting for Superman” The Daily Churn: Friday | EdNewsColorado

The Daily Churn: Friday | EdNewsColorado

The Daily Churn: Friday

by EdNews staff

What’s churning:

The long-awaited public education documentary “Waiting for Superman” opens today in a few cities, and the reviews, somewhat mixed, are starting to trickle in. The New York Times calls the movie “powerful and alarming.” USA Today says “it’s hard to deny the power of (director Davis) Guggenheim’s lingering shots on these children, waiting on a superhero who isn’t going to come.” New York Magazine’s David Edelstein calls it “one of the most galvanizing documentaries I’ve ever seen.”

On the other side of the ledger, The Nation, in a lengthy article, pans the film and takes a swipe at more kindly disposed reviewers, calling “Waiting for Superman” “a moving but vastly oversimplified brief on American

Where I'm Coming From :: Frederick M. Hess

Where I'm Coming From

by Frederick M. Hess • Sep 24, 2010 at 9:42 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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This week, in light of my posts jabbing the Nashville merit pay study, the irresponsibility of tax cutsunaccompanied by spending cuts, and Waiting for Superman, I've seen a pretty big uptick in my "you're a terrible person" mail quotient. And that's been accompanied by some puzzlement about just "who the hell I think I am" and what my agenda is.

In the spirit of being as clear as I possibly can, here are six tenets that I typically find guiding my writing, scholarship, and the rest:

1] Policymakers and policies can't "fix" schools or make teachers into good teachers; they can create conditions where it is easier or more difficult to improve teaching and schooling.

What are charter schools? | California Watch

What are charter schools?

by Ashley Alvarado

Frequently Asked Questions

What are charter schools?
These are public, tuition-free primary or secondary schools that are tax supported but operate without most local and state educational regulations in order to achieve set goals. They are established by a charter between a granting body (such as a school district) and an outside group.

Do charter schools have admission requirements?
Charter schools are required to admit all applicants—regardless of academic performance or place of residence. When there is greater demand than can be met, there is a lottery to select who can enroll and many have

GRAPHIC: Charter schools show steady growth

September 24, 2010 | Brian Cragin

Charter schools continue to show strong growth in California.

GRAPHIC: California's new charter schools

September 24, 2010 | Brian Cragin

California expects to add close to 90 charter schools this year.

Flexibility helps charter schools to thrive in down economy

September 24, 2010 | Louis Freedberg and Lisa Reynolds

White House photo by Pete SouzaPresident Obama visits a charter school.

Public charter schools in California are skirting the worst impact of the state’s budget crisis, even as traditional public schools shorten the school year, increase class sizes and lay off teachers and staff by the thousands.

The number of charter schools could expand by almost 90 this fall, helped in many cases by an infusion of federal government and philanthropic support. Many are also able to reduce costs by hiring younger and less

Rise & Shine: City shows fivefold jump in students held back | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: City shows fivefold jump in students held back

by Maura Walz

The city held back more than 11,000 elementary and middle schoolers this year. (GothamSchools, NY1)
That’s nearly five times the number the city held back last year. (Times, Daily News)
Newark Mayor Cory Booker is trying to find another $100 million to match Facebook’s donation. (WSJ)
The Times: Newark should use its Facebook gift for more charters and performance pay for teachers.
Vincent Gray met Michelle Rhee yesterday, but did not discuss her job’s future. (Washington Post)
The Bronx’s P.S. 7 officially opened its student-designed playground. (NY1)
The city chose not to spend an influx of cash in its budget on buses in Staten Island. (S.I. Advance)
Cincinnati school board members met Joel Klein and toured three city charters. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
“Waiting for Superman” opens in theaters today and film critics weigh in. (Times, Post, L.A. Times)
The Daily News editorial board urges readers to see the movie “right away.”
The movie is one of four education documentaries set to open this year. (AP)
A Mass. charter school opened yesterday despite officials’ concerns it broke the law. (Boston Globe)
Education Secretary Arne Duncan thinks Chicago school violence has gotten worse. (Chicago Tribune)

The Public Eye: Some school agencies balk at CSBA fees - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

The Public Eye: Some school agencies balk at CSBA fees

Published: Friday, Sep. 24, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 1B

Three California School Boards Association members are showing their displeasure with the embattled nonprofit by withholding a total of $65,800 in fees, and a handful of others are joining in.

However, it appears most school districts and county offices of education are deciding to stick with CSBA, which has been engrossed in a financial scandal involving Scott Plotkin, the association's now-retired executive director.

CSBA spokeswoman Susan Swigart said of the 965 members for 2009-10, the association anticipates less than 2 percent will not renew their membership.

Documentary films ratchet up pressure on teachers unions

By Laurel Rosenhall - Published: 12:00 am

Political pressure on teachers unions has been mounting for months, with national attention focused on charter schools, merit pay and other approaches to education that unions generally hate.

State panel to appeal student-loan change

Published: 12:00 am

The California Student Aid Commission announced Wednesday it will appeal a federal decision to remove California's student loan guaranty, charging that the federal move would cost the state tens of millions of dollars annually.

Sierra College student wins trip to NASA

By Laurel Rosenhall - Published: 10:28 am

A Sierra College student who performed well on a series of qualifying assignments has been selected to participate in an educational visit to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama this Fall.

California's ailing $34 million student database project is a year behind

By Diana Lambert - Updated: 8:47 am

California's statewide data system tracking student information was to be fully functioning by now. But CalPADS – the state's $34 million student database project – is a year behind schedule.

The Answer Sheet - Turning schools into robot factories

Turning schools into robot factories

This post was written by Joanne Yatvin, a longtime public school educator, author and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. She is now teaching part-time at Portland State University. By Joanne Yatvin I never miss reading the newspaper comics. Not for entertainment, but because I think their creators are some of the most intelligent and well-informed people on the public scene. As a group, they have mastered the subtleties of language, politics, philosophy, and human behavior. Right about now I am struck by how many comics are dealing with the beginning of the school year and how uniform their messages are: Children aren’t happy about going back to school. This is not good-natured humor. It reflects pretty accurately the feelings I hear expressed by my grandchildren and the other children I meet. Although the excitement of new clothes and school supplies seems to soften the

Jeffco launches teacher performance pay | EdNewsColorado

Jeffco launches teacher performance pay

by Nancy Mitchell

Jeffco Superintendent Cindy Stevenson, left, and Kerrie Dallman, president of the teachers' union, talk about collaboration at Thursday's press conference at O'Connell Middle School.

Jefferson County Public Schools on Thursday joined the national experiment in paying teachers differently, winning a $32.8 million federal grant for a five-year pilot in the district’s highest-poverty schools.

The plan, called Jeffco Strategic Compensation, is one of 62 proposals from 27 states to

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Friday, September 24, 2010