Wednesday, December 15, 2010

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW PARENT POLICY: MEDIA REPORTS ON CALENDAR CHANGE + SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS INSTEAD

SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW PARENT POLICY: MEDIA REPORTS ON CALENDAR CHANGE + SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS INSTEAD

Could that be because parents feel they were not engaged or listened-to on any of it, just informed?

TODAY’S LAUSD HEADLINES FROM GOOGLE NEWS: 15 DEC 2010

LAUSD votes to start school year 2 weeks early

DAILY BREEZE
The Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education tonight approved a proposal to start the school year about two weeks earlier than usual in hopes...

LAUSD Approves Corporate Sponsorship for Programs

LAIST - LISA BRENNER, LINDSAY WILLIAM-ROSS
Calling it a "new and creative approach in raising revenue for the general fund," Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Ramon Cortines is ...

LAUSD approves earlier start date for students

LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS - CONNIE LLANOS

Los Angeles Unified officials approved an earlier start to the year for all schools Tuesday, while also changing district ...

LAUSD to vote on earlier academic calendar

ABC7.COM
As part of a test run for the proposal, 18 LAUSD schools began operating under

Clashing views aired on student counts | EdNewsColorado

Clashing views aired on student counts

by Todd Engdahl

Worries and hopes about changing the way student enrollment is counted were laid bare Wednesday at a meeting of panel that’s studying the issue.

Consultant Justin Silverstein did a lot of listening during the Dec. 15 meeting of the Average Daily Membership Advisory Committee.

The debate among members of the Average Daily Membership Advisory Committee spotlighted the divide between school administrators and school reformers on the issue and also highlighted the political difficulty of making any change in student counting during a time of declining state financial support for schools.

Colorado’s current enrollment counting system basically involves adding up the students who are in school on

Meeks wants vouchers for 50,000 students - Chicago Sun-Times

Meeks wants vouchers for 50,000 students

BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter/fspielman@suntimes.com Dec 15, 2010 5:52PM

12-15-10 the Chicago Board of Elections hearing on whether Rahm Emanuel's name should be on the ballot resumes with Lori Halpin, who with her husband Rob Halpin, rented Emanuel’s house from him after he went to Washington to work for the president. Halpin was called to testify....Rich Hein/Sun-Times

Arguing that Chicago Public Schools are “broken’’ and that parents deserve a “choice,’’ mayoral challenger James Meeks said Wednesday he would offer $4,500-a-year vouchers to 50,000 low-and-middle-income Chicago families to use toward private school tuition.

If he is elected mayor, Meeks said he would also offer full-day kindergarten and character education in all Chicago Public Schools and double the time spent on reading and math in first through third grades. Full-day kindergarten would be financed in part by cutting bonus pay for teachers with master’s degrees.

The 90 minutes of daily reading time — up from 45 minutes currently — is designed to make certain that students read at a third-grade level by the time they finish third-grade.

The Chicago Teachers Union would be given one year to develop a policy “with teeth” to “identify and dismiss” teachers who are not performing. If the union cannot or refuses to meet that deadline, Meeks said he would ask

Parents Group PURE Pickets Chicago School Board Over Charter Schools Plan

Group PURE Pickets CPS Over Charter Schools Plan

Updated: Wednesday, 15 Dec 2010, 12:33 PM CST
Published : Wednesday, 15 Dec 2010, 11:07 AM CST

By Patrick Elwood, FOX Chicago News

Chicago - They are picketing at the Chicago School Board Wednesday morning. A group calling itself Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE) is upset with the plan to add more charter schools to the CPS system.

Wednesday morning, a group of about 25 picketed in front of the Chicago Public Schools Headquarters.

PURE feels that CPS should stop putting money into that form of education and instead direct funds toward community schools.

Wanda Hopkins, a PURE organizer, said CPS is creating a two-tier system of really good schools and really bad

Ed Reform Committee To Consider Teacher Strike Ban | Progress Illinois

Ed Reform Committee To Consider Teacher Strike Ban

Tomorrow kicks off Illinois' latest battle over school reform. Members of the Illinois House Special Committee on Education Reform, formed just weeks ago, will convene in Aurora on Thursday and Friday for two legislative hearings, both of which are expected to be controversial.

Last week, we reviewed some of the topics members are likely to discuss, including changes to teacher tenure rules and performance evaluations. In a characteristically useful primer, Catalyst Chicago got its hands on the "confidential draft" bill now circulating among the members. According to their reporting, the right for teachers to strike is also on the table. "The proposal," the magazine notes, "does not outlaw teacher strikes, but it puts in place a process that would appear to make them almost impossible." Champions of strike bans like Advance Illinois, Stand for Children, and the Tribune argue that it would "stop teachers union leaders from holding kids hostage to their bargaining demands." Teachers

Rick Scott’s bold education plan draws bevy of critics - Yahoo! News

Rick Scott’s bold education plan draws bevy of critics

By Liz Goodwin

9 votes

Newly elected Florida Gov. Rick Scott is making waves with his proposal that all children should receive education vouchers they can use to attend private, public or charter schools.

"The parent should figure out where the dollars for that student are spent," the Republican governor-elect told the St. Petersburg Times. "So if the parents want to spend it on virtual school, then spend it on virtual school. If they want to spend it on, you know, whatever education system they believe in, whether it's this public school or that public school or this private school or that private school, that's what ought to happen."

The idea has previously won backing from the late Nobel-laureate economist Milton Friedman and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush as a way to foster competition among schools and give parents more choice in their children's education. But there is one major hitch: The Florida Supreme Court has ruled private-school vouchers unconstitutional, concluding that they endanger the free public school system. And, it turns out,

National Board Certified Teachers - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Congratulates California
Teachers Who Received Prestigious National Certification

SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has granted National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT®) status to 349 California teachers.

"Teachers earning this prestigious distinction have demonstrated great skill in teaching after going through a demanding process to obtain NBCT status," said O'Connell. "I congratulate all teachers who have earned this status for their hard work, passion, and dedication to the art of teaching. Their leadership in the classroom is needed to help close the achievement gap and prepare all students for success in the future."

National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize great teachers, reward them, and increase their skills. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, NBCTs have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills, and practices. The certification process typically takes between one and three years to complete. As part of the process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes, and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching, including evidence of fairness, equity, and access in meeting student needs. Teachers are also assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach.

California's 349 newly certified teachers bring the statewide total of NBCTs to 4,913 or about 2 percent of the state’s teaching force. Nationwide, there are 91,000 NBCTs or about 3 percent of the nation’s teaching force. With the addition of these new dedicated and talented teachers, California comes closer to the national average. Additionally, California ranks fifth in the nation with the total number of these accomplished teachers. The top five California school districts with newly named NBCTs are:

School District	Number of New NBCTs	Total NBCTs
Los Angeles Unified	139	1,542
San Francisco Unified	33	200
Long Beach Unified	18	165
San Diego Unified	15	180
Folsom-Cordova Unified	10	44

For information about the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and a listing of districts that have NBCTs, please visit its Web site at National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (Outside Source). [http://www.nbpts.org/]To see if a teacher in your area has received NBCT status, please visit the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: NBCT Directory (Outside Source).

Afternoon Update: Education Week: From the Wires

Education Week: From the Wires

FROM THE WIRES

L.A. OK's Corporate Sponsors in Schools, Shorter Summers\

December 15, 2010 - McClatchy-Tribune

Wash. Governor Proposes Deep Cuts to K-12

December 15, 2010 - AP

Ala. Republicans Shifting Power From Teachers

December 15, 2010 - AP

School Board Gunman Had Dec. 14 Marked on Calendar

December 15, 2010 - AP

Calif. to Face Shortage of Teachers, Study Says

California's fiscal crisis and its toll on classrooms has jeopardized the state's ability to prepare and retain teachers, according to a new report from the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.

December 15, 2010 - Teacher

Defiant Burlington School Board Raises Budget

December 15, 2010 - AP

Birmingham, Ala. terminates diploma contract

December 15, 2010 - AP

NM arts school enters in dual credit pacts

December 15, 2010 - AP

Ala. House Passes Bill Cutting Off AEA Dues

December 15, 2010 - AP

Brown Warns Educators That Fiscal Woes Dog Calif.

December 15, 2010 - AP

PAWS settlement will wait for new officeholders

December 15, 2010 - AP

Feds Probe Civil Rights Complaint About N.C. Schools

December 15, 2010 - AP

Mexico's Drug Gangs Take Aim at New Target: Teachers

In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, mobsters are demanding that teachers hand over their Christmas bonuses or face the possibility of an armed attack on themselves—and even their students.

December 15, 2010 - Teacher

Cathie Black’s school visits take her to the good, skip the bad | GothamSchools

Cathie Black’s school visits take her to the good, skip the bad

by Anna Phillips

Chancellor-designate Cathie Black visited Medgar Evers College Preparatory School today.

More than a month after being named the next schools chancellor, Cathie Black has yet to see the system at its most troubled.

Black has been to 13 schools, making stops in each of the five boroughs and in schools at each grade level. The majority of schools she’s visited have earned either an A or a B on their annual progress report, meaning they are in no danger of being closed for poor performance. She has been to three “C” schools, none of which are on

The Answer Sheet - What Rhee wrought

What Rhee wrought

Anyone who thinks that Michelle Rhee was a whiz as chancellor of D.C. public schools and should be heading a national "reform" movement ought to read about a high school she attempted to “transform” in the nation’s capital. Rhee recently announced that she is heading a new organization, created around her celebrity, called Students First, that is aiming to raise $1 billion to effectively lobby against teachers unions and in support of business-driven reforms.

Rahm Emmanuel spells out his plan to destroy public education in his bid to become Mayor of Chicago | Dailycensored.com

Rahm Emmanuel spells out his plan to destroy public education in his bid to become Mayor of Chicago

by Danny Weil

In his bid to become the next mayor of Chicago, former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is attempting to get voters to focus on his education agenda instead of his lingering residency woes. Changing the subject is good for politics and Emmanuel’s support for vicious education policies mirror that of Arne Duncan, which is no surprise. Emmanuel is a fixer who has steered the liberal Democratic Party towards the right.

According to the newly released policy brief on his campaign website, Emanuel is, “guided by a single mission: to ensure that every child—in every school and every neighborhood—has access to a world-class learning experience from birth.” This is the same old rhetoric that is bandied about by those millionaire politicians who send their kids to private schools, attack teacher unions and look to pull the public carpet from under universal education in favor of privatization and points to the fact that Rahm Emmanuel is little more than a surrogate for his campaign contributors the majority of which are millionaires.

Take for example, Emmanuel’s call for teachers to be fired if they if they do not achieve academic performance

SF DA springs battery charges on Regents’ meeting protesters « occupy california

SF DA springs battery charges on Regents’ meeting protesters

by *

from ThoseWhoUseIt:

As our comrades at Mobilize Berkeley have already publicized, a UC Berkeley undergrad was taken into custody today and remains locked up in a San Francisco jail.

This morning, the 13 protesters who were arrested at November’s UC Regents’ meeting had their day in court. Initial reports were optimistic, as the majority of the arrestees had no charges filed against them. Note that this is not the same as having their charges dropped; until next November 17, the DA has the option of filing these charges at any time.

Then came the bad news. Three current and former UC Berkeley students were charged with assault on an officer. This came as an utter shock, as none of the 13 people arrested on Nov. 17 were arrested on such charges. One of the three has since had her charges dropped, and a second has posted bail. However, a UC

Hometown Station AM 1220 - Santa Clarita Radio - O'Connell Responds To Education Trends Report

O'Connell Responds To Education Trends Report

Wednesday, 15 December 2010 09:00

jackoconnell State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell released the following statement in response to the 12th annual report issued Tuesday by The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning: California’s Teaching Force 2010: Key Issues and Trends. The report will be posted on the CFTL Web site at http://www.cftl.org/.

KHTS News Brought To You By:

“I am pleased that the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning has delved into some of the most urgent issues facing education today, especially the pressure teachers are under to produce student achievement gains without adequate funding or classroom support. It has been extremely difficult for educators to survive these bleak economic times when thousands of teaching jobs didn’t.

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“Reductions in funding have touched every aspect of education: from teacher morale to enticing new teachers into the classroom to increased class sizes to reductions in subjects. To prepare all students for success in the global economy and to close the achievement gap, we need effective, well-trained teachers in every classroom.

“Unfortunately, as the report points out, the state budget crisis is ratcheting down the pipeline of prospective new teachers as just as we face the need to replace nearly a third of our teaching force

Latest News and Comment from Education

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES NEW PARENT POLICY: MEDIA REPORTS ON CALENDAR CHANGE + SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS INSTEAD

Could that be because parents feel they were not engaged or listened-to on any of it, just informed?

TODAY’S LAUSD HEADLINES FROM GOOGLE NEWS: 15 DEC 2010

DAILY BREEZE

LAIST - LISA BRENNER, LINDSAY WILLIAM-ROSS

LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS - CONNIE LLANOS

ABC7.COM

Meeks wants vouchers for 50,000 students

ARTICLE EXTRAS

Group PURE Pickets CPS Over Charter Schools Plan

Ed Reform Committee To Consider Teacher Strike Ban

Rick Scott’s bold education plan draws bevy of critics

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Congratulates CaliforniaTeachers Who Received Prestigious National Certification

FROM THE WIRES

L.A. OK's Corporate Sponsors in Schools, Shorter Summers\

December 15, 2010 - McClatchy-Tribune

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Congratulates California
Teachers Who Received Prestigious National Certification