Monday, November 29, 2010

Stakes Are High for New State Lawmakers to Improve Education Laws - PR Newswire - sacbee.com

Stakes Are High for New State Lawmakers to Improve Education Laws

By Center for Education Reform

Published: Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 - 4:49 am

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2010 -- New report finds that even with federal prodding, most states have failed to enact successful state charter laws

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Even with federal incentives and tremendous media attention over the past year, weak laws in a majority of states continue to be the greatest barrier to charter school success, according to an analysis of the country's 41 charter school laws by The Center for Education Reform (CER). CER's 2011 ranking and scorecard – their 12th annual overview – gives 29 states a grade of C or lower for their law, showcasing a real need for substantive changes to their laws if they are to permit the creation of innovative and successful charter schools.

"Thousands of newly elected state lawmakers are poised to step into their positions to govern. It's critical they know that — despite the media hype and federal incentives created in the last year — expansive, quality schooling opportunities are only available in half of all states," said Jeanne

Districts mull options with federal funds

OUSD TO CONSIDER HIRING PART-TIME TEACHERS

Districts mull options with federal funds

By Brian Bullock / Staff Writer / bbullock@santamariatimes.com | Posted: Monday, November 29, 2010 12:00 am |(1) Comments

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The Orcutt Union School District Board of Education will hold a special meeting at noon today to discuss hourly wages for teachers it’s considering hiring with federal jobs bill money.

The district and board of trustees will discuss hiring several part-time hourly teachers to help out at all district schools. District staff recommends the board approve a standard hourly rate of $20. The meeting begins at noon today.

Orcutt Teachers Association President Monique Segura asked the district and trustees to hire back 6.5 full-time teaching positions which had been cut because of budget reductions.

District teachers strongly supported the proposal at recent board meetings.

The Orcutt district isn’t alone when it comes to figuring out when or how to spend

A chance for education cohesion - SignOnSanDiego.com

A chance for education cohesion

BY UNION-TRIBUNE EDITORIAL BOARD

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010 AT MIDNIGHT

The diffusion of power and responsibility at the top of California’s public education bureaucracy has not served the state’s 6 million-plus public school students well in recent years. Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell often had a different agenda than Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s five education secretaries and the state Board of Education, which is dominated by Schwarzenegger appointees.

But as a recent California Watch analysis pointed out, there is now potential for a much more cohesive approach. Gov.-elect Jerry Brown doesn’t intend to fill the education secretary post in his Cabinet and instead appears to want to work closely with Superintendent-elect Tom Torlakson, a friend and fellow Bay Area Democrat. Meanwhile, because of squabbles between Schwarzenegger and Senate Democrats that have held up confirmation of some of his education board nominees, Brown will likely be able to appoint seven of the board’s 10 members in his

Opinion: Creating bipartisan education reform - Thomas H. Kean - POLITICO.com

Creating bipartisan education reform

Young men sit in a community college math class.

The program's goal is to help an additional Americans earn college degrees and certificates. | AP PhotoClose

By THOMAS H. KEAN | 11/29/10 4:32 AM EST

The outcome of the midterm elections shows how distraught voters have become with Washington politics, where almost every issue is pitched into a partisan battle between parties and competing ideologies.

Fortunately, the administration has an opportunity to show leadership and demonstrate a desire for bipartisan solutions with the new Congress by focusing on President Barack Obama’s American Graduation Initiative. This program, whose goal is to help an additional five million Americans earn college degrees and certificates in the next decade, can strengthen the U.S.

Monday Churn: Busy day for SBE | EdNewsColorado

Monday Churn: Busy day for SBE

by EdNews staff

The unpaid members of the State Board of Educationhave a pretty busy workday ahead of them today. They’ll first meet from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the Department of Education, 201 E. Colfax Ave., to review bids submitted by search firms vying to help the board find a successor to Commissioner Dwight Jones.

Jones’ last day at work is Dec. 13, and the board has named Robert Hammond as interim commissioner. The board hopes to have a search firm selected and ready to go by its January meeting, but a new commissioner isn’t expected to be selected until spring.

After that session, board members will walk down the hill to the Department of Higher Education at 1560 Broadway, where they have a 2-4 p.m. joint meeting with the Colorado Commission on Higher Education

$1B in teacher compensation under attack | California Watch

$1B in teacher compensation under attack

by Louis Freedberg

Louis Freedberg

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is taking aim at the more than $1 billion California school districts spend each year in extra pay to teachers with master's degrees, a core feature of teacher compensation in California and the nation.

In addition to step increases based on years on the job, getting a master's degree is one of the few ways teachers can boost their salaries. A handful of school districts nationally are experimenting with paying teachers based more on teacher evaluations rather than on seniority and advances degrees, but these efforts have yet to

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: WEEKEND QUOTABLES

WEEKEND QUOTABLES

by Mike Klonsky

Where's Cathie Black? Village Academy wants to know.

A fig leaf

"This compromise is not a compromise at all, but a very transparent and flimsy fig leaf that will allow Ms. Black to be in charge despite a complete lack of qualifications for the job." (Mona Davids, President of the New York Charter Parents Association)

FBI raids hedge-fund operators

It's another shadow cast over an industry that despite frequent scandals, bailouts and complicity in the collapse of the credit markets, still has enough credibility on Capitol Hill to avoid a real

The Tsunami of Distrust for Government Spills over to Educators | Larry Cuban on School Reform and Classroom Practice

The Tsunami of Distrust for Government Spills over to Educators

by larrycuban

In January 2009, President of the United State...

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New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s appointment of Cathie Black encountered fierce blowback from parent groups, unions, and others who were outraged by her lack of public school experience. The New York State Commissioner of Education said that he would approve the Mayoral request to waive state requirements if theMayor appointed an educator as second in command. He did.

The mayor’s choice of a non-educator for the largest school district in the nation got me thinking about the massive distrust of public school educators in general and teachers in particular. They have taken hit after hit, decade after decade, from policy elites and media for horribly mismanaged urban districts and dragging down the U.S. economy.

Then I recalled the growth of distrust for all government that coincided with this loss of trust. Think of the Vietnam War, Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation, and the habit of presidential candidates from Jimmy Carter

Rise & Shine: With Black waiver on horizon, backlash continues | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: With Black waiver on horizon, backlash continues

by Philissa Cramer

Cathie Black report:

State Education Commissioner David Steiner could approve Black’s waiver today. (Post, Daily News)
In exchange, the city will name a chief academic officer. (GS, WSJ, Times, NY1, WNYC, Post, Daily News)
Some critics are threatening to sue to stop Black’s appointment. (Post, Daily News, NY1)
Parents and activists also rallied yesterday against the appointment. (NY1)
The first CAO is Shael Polakow-Suransky, the city’s current accountability chief. (GothamSchools,Times)
Many cities with CEO-type principals have CAO’s working by their sides. (GothamSchools, WNYC)
Polakow-Suransky’s job description covers pretty much anything that happens in schools. (Times)
Eric Nadelstern, a top Klein deputy, had been an obvious choice for the job. (Daily News)
The pressure of the waiver decision rattled David Steiner, a classicist without ties to Bloomberg. (Times)
The city and state tried to hash out a deal before the advisory panel vote but failed. (Times)
The charter school board on which Black sits has never met. (Daily News)
The backlash against Cathie Black reflected deep anger at Mayor Bloomberg. (Times)
Chicago’s principals union head said New York should stick with a single chief. (Daily News)

Chiming in:

The Post said Steiner shouldn’t have questioned Black’s qualifications since he isn’t certified either.
The Daily News says the DOE’s leadership team appears strong, no thanks to Bloomberg or Steiner.
The Post says the appointment process has compromised mayoral control.
Joshua Greenman wonders whether the compromise was authentic or just for show. (Daily News)
Black might not be ready for the big problems city schools face, says Pedro Noguera. (Daily News)
Mike Lupica: The Black pick was all about Bloomberg, who could have picked Joe Torre. (Daily News)

In other news:

After a court ruling, the UFT will no longer sue to get the names of charter school teachers. (Post)
Student grades at Eximius College Prep in the Bronx appear to be a total mess. (Daily News)
A new study says punishing families when children are absent from school doesn’t work. (AP)
Any purchase at Borders on Dec. 4 or 5 will give the buyer $15 to use on DonorsChoose. (AP)
IS 119 in Glendale, Queens, wants to become a K-8 school. (Daily News)
The chair of Common Good says the key to good teaching is freedom to inspire. (Daily News)
Jonathan Kozol: Mott Haven’s schools are just as troubled now as they were 15 years ago. (Daily News)
Some schools are moving to give grades based on students’ mastery, not effort. (Times)
Rahm Emanuel said he would bring a Common Core-based curriculum to Chicago as mayor. (Times)
Penn. and N.J. were both denied a grant to start new charter schools. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Los Angeles schools could start two weeks earlier next year, in the dog days of August. (L.A. Times)

The Answer Sheet - What Tom Friedman got wrong about schools and why it matters

What Tom Friedman got wrong about schools and why it matters

The great New York Times columnist Tom Friedman wrote in a recent piece that if he were a cub reporter today, he’d want to be “covering the epicenter of national security -- but that would be the Education Department.” Then he goes on to quote liberally from Education Secretary Arne Duncan, taking no account of what veteran teacher Anthony Cody, in a recent piece on his blog, described as a serious mismatch between the secretary's words and actions. If Friedman the cub reporter had turned this piece in, a veteran education editor would have sent it back, asking him to back up his contentions with research. He’d have a hard time.

Queens Teacher: Cathleen Black: Education's Sarah Palin?

Cathleen Black: Education's Sarah Palin?

by Queens Teacher

Cathleen Black: Education's Sarah Palin?

by Gary Anderson
Professor of Education, New York University

It was business as usual on Friday as David Steiner apparently has agreed to provide Bloomberg with the waiver he needs to appoint Cathleen Black as the new chancellor of education for New York City.

Cathleen Black is as embarrassingly ignorant of education as sure-to-be presidential candidate Sarah Palin is of national and geopolitical issues. Steiner, though should know better.

Unfortunately, although steeped in philosophy and educational theory, he shares Bloomberg's corporate ideology, and apparently is ultimately a political animal. He thinks John Dewey was wrong-headed and that he recanted his life's work. Instead of blaming exploding rates of inequality, concentrated poverty, and unemployment

Dust Bowl Teachers

by admin

What was it like to teach during the Great Depression? Well, if you were like Ann Marie Low, living in Dust Bowl North Dakota, it was probably pretty tough. $50 a month, no heat in the hotel room you share with another unpaid teacher, when you’re not forced to take another room that a trucker wanders into.

You might have a student like, Dora, whom after sensing that she will never be up to the curriculum, you teach to crochet instead. You might have some leeway when it comes to curriculum, but not much. Consolidation and compulsory education make you march to the same drummer we march to today under Arne Duncan and No

Monday, November 29, 2010