Gov. Chris Christie was living large | NJ.com

Gov. Chris Christie was living large | NJ.com

ov. Chris Christie was living large

Published: Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 6:26 AM

Star-Ledger Editorial Board
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Noah K. Murray -The Star LedgerGov. Chris Christie went over budget on his travels when he was U.S. attorney. He now has no comment.

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This week’s Jersey scandal is a small one, if you measure the loss to taxpayers, just over $2,000. But the hypocrisy is delicious.

Gov. Chris Christie, who skewers anyone who breaks the rules and wastes taxpayer money, did exactly that when he was U.S. attorney.

The governor, it turns out, has a weakness for the fanciest hotels. And you can’t scratch that itch if you play by federal rules that place a $233 cap on a nightly stay.

So he tried to squeeze through a loophole that allows you to break that limit if you can show there are no less-expensive hotels available. That’s the exception that Christie claimed.

But his secretary confessed to Justice Department investigators that this was not literally true. In fact, it was nowhere near true. She was counting only “decent” hotels near the site of Christie’s meetings.

Who knew that this would land him at the Four Seasons in Washington at $475 per night? Or at the Nine Zero Hotel in downtown Boston for $449 per night? And once you’re on this roll,

Why Bloomberg likes Cathie Black as the new NYC schools chancellor - CSMonitor.com

Why Bloomberg likes Cathie Black as the new NYC schools chancellor - CSMonitor.com

Why Bloomberg likes Cathie Black as the new NYC schools chancellor

Media businesswoman Cathie Black has no experience as an educator. Why does Mayor Bloomberg think Black can run the nation's largest school system?

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (c.) speaks while outgoing schools chancellor Joel Klein (l.) and the new chancellor Cathie Black look on during a news conference at City Hall in New York, Tuesday.

Seth Wenig/AP

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By Chris Richardson, CSMonitor.com / November 10, 2010

New York

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the replacement of the city's schools chancellor Joel Klein by media businesswoman and chairman of Hearst Magazines, Cathie Black.

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Mr. Klein stepped down after eight years as the New York City chancellor, the longest anyone has held the post. Next, Klein will be working with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp as an adviser to a new business venture in the education market.

Since 2002, Klein has served as head of the nation's largest school system, managing 1.1 million students, 136,000 employees, and 1,600 schools with a 2010 operating budget of more than $21 billion.

RELATED: 20 colleges that won't leave you deep in debt

Bloomberg appointed Cathie Black to take over on Tuesday. Bloomberg was criticized for appointing a replacement without a proven interest in education reform and who is not an

March for the future of education | Nina Power | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

March for the future of education | Nina Power | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

March for the future of education

The government's education policy is regressive, punitive and unnecessary – join the march to protect our future

Nick Clegg talks with students unhappy at the coalition's plans for education. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Today will see tens of thousands of people concerned about the future of education marching from Horse Guards Avenue, past Westminster, to Millbank. Organised by the National Union of Students and the University and College Union under the banner "Fund our Future: Stop Education Cuts", the protest serves as an indication of the enormous anger

Revamp California's School Funding Model, Report Says - State EdWatch - Education Week

Revamp California's School Funding Model, Report Says - State EdWatch - Education Week

Revamp California's School Funding Model, Report Says

by Sean Cavanagh

California's school funding model is nearly "impossible to comprehend," and should be made more transparent and more focused on helping districts that serve large numbers of students who are the most expensive to educate, a new report argues.

Who are those students? They include, not surprisingly, English-language learners and special needs students, as well as those living in rural areas who have extensive transportation needs, according to the report, published today by the Public Policy Institute of California.

The state's school funding model was largely shaped by two events, the report explains. The first was a 1971 California Supreme Court decision, Serrano v. Priest, which declared the previous school funding model unconstitutional. The second was the passage of Proposition 13, which reduced the amount of property tax available to schools and muncipalities. The result was that the burden of funding schools shifted largely to the state. Today, the report notes, formulas based on the voter-approved initiative Proposition 98 shape state spending levels on schools.

Today, per-pupil funding for different districts varies greatly and often seems based on arbitrary standards, according the PPIC, a nonpartisan research organization based in San Francisco.

The report also says the state should allocate money using a more equal per-pupil funding rate, which would in

White privilege, black children | The Education Report

White privilege, black children | The Education Report

White privilege, black children

By Katy Murphy
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 at 5:12 pm in achievement gap, initiatives
4 Comments »

Oakland Unified’s new African American male student achievement office is co-sponsoring a free workshop next week led by Shawn Ginwright, a professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University. It’s called Putting Racism Aside: Working Past Hidden Bias.

It’s billed on the district’s Thriving Students blog as “NOT another diversity training.” The topic is “how white privilege shows up in working with urban children and youth.” I presume “urban” means children who aren’t white.

In what ways do you observe or experience white privilege at your school, or your child’s school? Do you think this kind of training can be eye-opening for school staff? How? Do you plan to go?

Event details, from OUSD’s blog: Read the rest of this entry »

Noam Chomsky on Mid-Term Elections: Misguided Outrage

Noam Chomsky on Mid-Term Elections: Misguided Outrage

by SOURCE on NOVEMBER 9, 2010

in CIVIL RIGHTS & LIBERTIES, CULTURE, ECONOMY, ELECTION, HISTORY, WAR, PEACE & EMPIRE

People rightly want answers, and they are not getting them except from voices that tell tales that have some internal coherence—if you suspend disbelief.

by Noam Chomsky

The U.S. midterm elections register a level of anger, fear and disillusionment in the country like nothing I can recall in my lifetime. Since the Democrats are in power, they bear the brunt of the revulsion over our current socioeconomic and political situation.

More than half the “mainstream Americans” in a Rasmussen poll last month said they view the Tea Party movement favorably—a reflection of the spirit of disenchantment.

The grievances are legitimate. For more than 30 years, real incomes for the majority of the population have stagnated or declined while work hours and insecurity have increased, along with debt. Wealth has accumulated, but in very few pockets, leading to unprecedented

Cathie Black, the new chancellor of New York City schools calls herself a born saleswoman

Cathie Black, the new chancellor of New York City schools calls herself a born saleswoman

BY HELEN KENNEDY AND CORKY SIEMASZKO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Wednesday, November 10th 2010, 7:53 AM

Seth Wenig

Cathie Black describes herself as a born saleswoman who started off selling lemonade and later subscriptions to a Catholic magazine.

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Just don't call her Cathy.

Cathie Black, the future chancellor of the New York City public school system, was just 12 and a "skinny, awkward preteen with big dreams" on the south side of Chicago when she decided she "wanted to be different."

"So one day I changed the spelling of my name from 'Cathy' to 'Cathie,'" Black recounted in her secret-to-success book, "Basic Black" - adding that misspelling her new moniker was the "quickest way" for someone to lose ground in her eyes.

It's a telling insight into the hard-charging, 66-year-old business woman who's been dubbed "The First Lady of Magazines."

Black grew up in the shadow of steel mills in an insular neighborhood

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/education/2010/11/10/2010-11-10_cathie_black_the_new_chancellor_of_new_york_city_schools_calls_herself_a_born_sa.html?r=ny_local/education#ixzz14sxZsGjw

Cathleen P. Black Is New Schools Chancellor in New York - NYTimes.com

Cathleen P. Black Is New Schools Chancellor in New York - NYTimes.com

City’s New Schools Chief Has Much in Common With Boss

By JEREMY W. PETERS

Published: November 9, 2010

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Cathleen P. Black earned a reputation in publishing as a tough-minded chief executive who never left her employees guessing what she wanted. A student of management, she wrote a book about strategies for success in the corporate world. She thrived as head of a large media company, showing little interest in politics or a public-service job — until, it seems, a big one suddenly opened up.

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Michael Appleton for The New York Times

Cathleen P. Black was introduced on Tuesday by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York as the successor to Joel I. Klein, left, who resigned as chancellor of the city's schools.

Cathleen Black Timeline

Related

• New York Schools Chancellor Ends 8-Year Run (November 10, 2010)

• Times Topics: Cathleen P. Black |Joel I. Klein

In other words, she is a lot like MayorMichael R. Bloomberg, who on Tuesday tapped Ms. Black, 66, the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, to be the next chancellor of the New York City school system.

Mr. Bloomberg, of course, also built his fortune in media and wrote a book about how he did it. And no one would ever accuse the mayor of being ambiguous when it comes to conveying his expectations of his staff. Ms. Black, at

Test score makes the teacher? Maybe, at LAUSD - LA Daily News

Test score makes the teacher? Maybe, at LAUSD - LA Daily News

Test score makes the teacher? Maybe, at LAUSD

By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer

Posted: 11/09/2010 08:33:00 PM PST

Updated: 11/09/2010 08:44:54 PM PST

Los Angeles Unified officials took a big step forward Tuesday toward launching a new controversial method to evaluate teachers based on the performance of their students. | "LAUSD votes to wait on consultants' contracts"

The school board approved two consultant contracts to study and develop the new teacher evaluation method, with a combined cost of up to $4.5 million.

One consultant will develop ways to evaluate teachers based on the test performance of their students over time, called the "value-added" method. The other will help develop new guidelines and "best practices" for teachers.

The value-added method compares student performance from one year to the next to evaluate a teacher's abilities. It has been sharply criticized by some union leaders and experts as flawed and unfair, but applauded by others, including President Barack Obama.

"For me, this is historic. This begins to make it real that we are going to establish a process to have a good, fair and robust evaluation for teachers, principals and other key school personnel," said LAUSD board member Yolie Flores.

"We are putting our stake in the ground that quality teaching matters. ... We are done with mediocrity and we

LAUSD votes to wait on consultants' contracts

by By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Unified officials Tuesday voted to hold off on a series of new facilities consultant contracts, after a new inspector general report this week found irregularities in the handling of certain building contracts. | "Test score makes the teacher? Maybe, at LAUSD"