Friday, November 26, 2010

In special-education system, innovation leading the way | APP.com | Asbury Park Press

In special-education system, innovation leading the way

Vouchers, training gain states' favor

In California, 25,000 veteran special-education teachers are being sent back to school this year to learn the nuances of teaching students with autism.

In Florida, Georgia and Utah, parents who are unhappy with their local public school’s special-education program can use taxpayer-funded vouchers to send their disabled child to another public or private school they think can do a better job.

In Kansas, researchers are developing sophisticated “learning maps” to give educators a more holistic view of what special-education students are actually learning.

And here in New Jersey, where fiscal constraints are forcing district

Schools Matter: Corporate Education Reformers: Hoarders of Financial and Social Capital

Corporate Education Reformers: Hoarders of Financial and Social Capital

by Jim Horn

The corporate education oligarchs centered in Washington state, along with their reps in Washington, DC, are making a lot of noise now about those lazy, overpaid school teachers with their fancy Masters' degrees. For the frugal oligarchs, teachers' advanced degrees and step pay increases represent areas to save big. The propaganda is being produced and disseminated by one of Gates's tax shelters for philanthrocapitalists, the Center on ~~Dismantling~~ Reinventing Public Education.

Meanwhile, we hear no concern expressed by billionaire Gates or the 10,000+ Microsoft millionaires who are quietly waiting for their Bush tax cuts to be renewed, even though the payout to the made men of Microsoft will blow a 700 billion-dollar hole in the federal deficit over ten years. Nor do we hear anything about any giving back by the corporations whose profits in the third quarter of 2010 were the highest recorded ever:

Unemployment may be high, but business is booming…or at least corporate profits are. New data

San Francisco considers full-time school board

Friday, November 26, 2010

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(11-26) 05:42 PST San Francisco, CA (AP) --

Several San Francisco supervisors are proposing making members of the city's school board full-time workers with health benefits, a pension and salary of $50,000 each.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the four supervisors have put forth an amendment to the City Charter that would change the position from what is currently largely a volunteer job.

San Francisco's seven school board members get a $500 stipend, shared use of a district car and a life insurance policy, but no salary.

Supervisor Bevan Dufty, who authored the measure, says that's not enough given how

Leaning Tower of Pisa taken by students amid European backlash to education cuts - CSMonitor.com

Leaning Tower of Pisa taken by students amid European backlash to education cuts

Leaning Tower of Pisa was the target of student protests Thursday in Rome. Earlier this week, students in London clashed with police in demonstrations over fee increases.

University students sit near the Leaning Tower of Pisa after hanging a banner with writing reading in Italian "No to the Gelmini (Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini) reform" Thursday. some 2,000 Italian university students occupied the Leaning Tower of Pisa to protest education cuts and reforms before parliament.

Paolo Lazzeroni/AP

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Rome

Italian students stormed the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Rome's Colosseum and blocked roads and railways Thursday in protest against university reform planned by Silvio Berlusconi's struggling government.

Reaction to Cathleen Black, Discontent With Mayor at Heart of School Uproar - NYTimes.com

Reaction to Cathleen Black, School Chief Candidate - NYTimes.com

Discontent With Mayor at Heart of School Uproar

By ELISSA GOOTMAN

Published: November 25, 2010

REPRINTS

Like many other parents, Lisa B. Donlan was cautiously optimistic back in 2002 when Joel I. Klein, a former federal prosecutor andBertelsmann executive, was appointed chancellor of New York City’s public schools. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg had just won control of the schools from Albany, and while Ms. Donlan was happy with her own children’s school, she knew that parts of the system were badly broken.

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Michael Appleton for The New York Times

Mayor Bloomberg chooses Cathleen P. Black to run the city’s schools.

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Michael Appleton for The New York Times

Cathleen Black’s background and persona may play into criticisms that Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is elitist and autocratic.

“Back then, people were hopeful, people were open-minded,” Ms. Donlan recalled this week.

But when Mr. Bloomberg announced this month that his next pick for chancellor was Cathleen P. Black, the chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, Ms. Donlan was outraged.

She not only signed a petition asking the state education commissioner, David M. Steiner, to deny Ms. Black the waiver required for chancellor candidates who lack the necessary education credentials, but also joined other

New British Study “Parents’ Effort Key to Child’s Educational Performance” | Engaging Parents In School...

New British Study “Parents’ Effort Key to Child’s Educational Performance” Here’s an excerpt from a report on a new British study titled “Parents’ Effort Key to Child’s Educational Performance.” *A new study by researchers at the University of Leicester and University of Leeds has concluded that parents’ efforts towards ...

Update On Newark’s Use Of Facebook Money I’ve previously raised concerns about how the $100 million donation by Facebook’s founder to Newark schools is being used, specifically it’s misguided parent and community outreach efforts. I’m not alone in raising those questions. PENewark outreach ...

“English classes help Spanish-speaking parents get involved in their kids’ education” The Chicago Tribune published an article yesterday headlined “English classes help Spanish-speaking parents get involved in their kids’ education.” It doesn’t have any great insights, but it’s just another example of one way schools can connect with ...

“A Sit-In Success Story” I’ve previously written about the successful sit-in organized by Chicago parents demanding a school library. YES Magazine has just recently published a nice review and description of what happened. Check-out “A Sit-In Success Story.”

Love Teachers? Love Students? How To Put Classrooms On Your Holiday List | Education | Change.org

By the time you've read this, zillions of shoppers have already been plowing through the aisles of their local Target, Walmart or Macy's, searching for unbelievable deals. That's right, it's Black Friday, when retailers pray for an influx of cash (and an absence of lawsuits), and gift-buyers show off their shopping stamina.

In the rush to cross off your list of gifts for your parents, siblings and in-laws, consider giving a gift this holiday season to teachers and classrooms. Every year, teachers reach down into their pockets and pay as much as $1,500 a year on classroom supplies -- sometimes for materials as vital as paper and pencils. Luckily, there are some ways to help. You'll get the benefits of helping out a hardworking teacher, making school a little brighter for students and the satisfaction of knowing you've made a tangible difference.

Here are some great ways to give back to education:

Harvard University: Where LGBT Students Lack Significant Resources

by Brandon Miller

Many gay university students would do almost anything to go a school with a gay resource center. But simply having a space on campus isn't enough, if the resources to truly serve LGBT students are lacking.

That's why a group of LGBT students at Harvard University are organizing. Harvard University, as it turns out, is the only Ivy League school without a university-funded resource center and staff person. And though the school

Immigrant Students Starve for Their DREAMs on Thanksgiving

by Prerna Lal

As you recover from your Thanksgiving meal, remember that dozens of undocumented students are literally and metaphorically starving for their DREAM to obtain a pathway to citizenship.

It's Day 17 of the hunger strike conducted by undocumented students in Texas, who are hoping to get Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchison (R-Texas) to support the DREAM Act. Thus far, the Senator from Texas has refused to support the measure. “We’re giving up our health and body for the DREAM Act,” says Him Ranjit, a 19-year-old sophomore studying biomedical engineering and government at the University of Texas at Austin, who was brought here at the age of 10 from Nepal.

Since its modern formation, this country has mostly resisted immigrants, only to realize their contributions over

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Friday, November 26, 2010