Friday, December 24, 2010

Damn Good Education Daily

At Kaplan University, 'Guerilla Registration' Leaves Students Deep In Debt

huffingtonpost.com - Arlen Castillo had just begun an online associate's degree program at Kaplan University when a family emergency forced a change of plans. Her mother in Florida learned she needed extensive surgery ...

EDPressSec

The Answer Sheet - A student play blasting N.Y. school reform is banned

voices.washingtonpost.com - Fourteen students from two New York City schools -- Jamaica High and Queens Collegiate -- wrote an impressive play about school reform under Superintendent Joel Klein and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, b...

leoniehaimson

Top Books of the Decade : Education Next

educationnext.org - The first issue of Education Next was published in February 2001. In our inaugural issue, we described our goal as “giving voice (without fear or favor) to worthy research, sound ideas, and respons...

DianeRavitch

Kaplan Tarnishes Washington Post Legacy

huffingtonpost.com - Nearly four decades ago, the Washington Post found itself faced with the sort of agonizing decision that can define a reputation. The New York Times had begun printing classified federal documents ...

EDPressSec

Why Jay's classroom focus is wrong

pheedcontent.com - I often read "Dropout Nation," a blog covering education reform written and edited by a very experienced journalist and former editorial writer, RiShawn Biddle. Recently in discussing one of my pie...

alexanderrusso

POV: Los Angeles Mayor a Voice for Education Reform | Point of View | FOX 11 News

POV: LA Mayor Advocates Education Reform

Published : Thursday, 23 Dec 2010, 8:06 PM PST

Editorial by:
Kevin Hale, VP/General Manager

Los Angeles - One of the strongest voices for education reform in California is Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles. FOX 11 Vice President & General Manager Kevin Hale explains why the mayor is on the right track.

You can watch the full video of the editorial in the media player... and share your comments on the topic below the editorial transcript.

Full Editorial Text:

Never in the history of this country has education reform been more critical.

State's force shrinks, as K-12 population set to grow - Daily Democrat Online

State's force shrinks, as K-12 population set to grow

By SHARON NOGUCHI / MediaNews Group And Democrat Staff
Published By Daily Democrat

Created: 12/23/2010 08:13:21 AM PST

Just as California's K-12 population is beginning to nudge up, the state is poised to lose a wave of teachers to baby-boomer retirements, layoffs and burnout. Meanwhile, the number of people seeking teaching credentials to fill those spots is dropping dramatically.

"This is the steepest decline we've seen," said Margaret Gaston, president of the Santa Cruz-based Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, which detailed the teacher numbers in a study released last week.

It all feeds concern that California - whose school-age population is predicted to grow 4 percent in eight years - will soon lack an adequate pool of qualified teachers, particularly those who can teach science, math and elementary school.

Although some of the teaching-force decrease is the result of declining enrollment in schools, Gaston said, "The

NYC Educator: From NYC Educator's Mailbag

From NYC Educator's Mailbag

by NYC Educator

A Letter from Santa

Dear Teachers,

I have been meaning to write this letter for a long time! It is a letter that I feel is long overdue and with the elves getting all ready for my long ride, I finally found the time! I have been watching teachers for many years and I am amazed at the work they do. I have come to a conclusion that the teaching profession, like my own, must be filled with bits of magic! Please let me provide ten statements of evidence for my belief.

1. I travel the world one night of the year visiting all the boys and girls of the world. The teaching profession works with every boy and girl all year long. This

Democratic schism opens on fixing schools - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Democratic schism opens on fixing schools

By Laurel Rosenhall - Published: 12:00 am

Across the nation Democrats have begun to split over education, with a growing chorus arguing the party must move away from its traditional allegiance with teachers unions in order to improve chronically low-performing schools.

Sacramento-area schools fear vandalism during winter break

By Melody Gutierrez - Published: 12:00 am

Winter break has proved costly for Sacramento school districts as vandals, thieves and arsonists have hit the empty campuses.

Hmong students in Sacramento learn of culture's Chinese roots

By Stephen Magagnini - Updated: 11:11 am

The 264 students at Sacramento's Hmong charter school began grinning when Li Yang blew on a leaf and almost made it cry, the way his Chinese ancestors have done for centuries.

Sacramento school districts consider selling naming rights to campus properties

By Melody Gutierrez - Updated: 11:02 am

School district may close school near gas pipeline

In one Massachusetts school district, the naming rights to the principal's office can be yours for $10,000.

RI superintendent's pay tied to performance - Boston.com

RI superintendent's pay tied to performance

December 24, 2010

Text size – +

WESTERLY, R.I.—A Rhode Island school system has tied its superintendent's pay raises directly to student performance.

The Westerly School Committee last week unanimously approved the model that will be used to evaluate Superintendent Roy Seitsinger Jr. It is based on leadership standards approved by state education officials and an Ohio system.

Jack Carson, head of the subcommittee that designed the evaluation model, tells The Sun of Westerly that in his 35 years of education experience, it is the "most

Daily Kos: Bernstein's memories of Christmas

Bernstein's memories of Christmas

by teacherken

Fri Dec 24, 2010 at 05:32:29 AM PST

Bernstein is a Jewish name. Although our family was Jewish, Christmas was in different ways a part of my childhood and adolescence. As an adult I spent the better two parts of two decades as a Christian, first in the Episcopal and then the Orthodox Church. Even since I left, first to Judaism and then to a Quaker Meeting, it has played a role in my life.

This dia4y will be a personal looking back. It is not that my experiences are so note-worthy. But there is a theme that will be evident.

I invite you to keep reading, even if you don't really care for the Holiday.

Peace.

Education | Study questions seniority-based teacher layoffs | Seattle Times Newspaper

Study questions seniority-based teacher layoffs

If Washington laid off teachers based solely on which had the least seniority, researchers say it would significantly impact students' ability to learn.

By Donna Gordon Blankinship

The Associated Press

Information

Center for Education

Data and Research:

http://www.cedr.us

A study of Washington state teachers has found that deciding layoffs based solely on which teachers have the least seniority has a significant impact on students' ability to learn, adding to a growing chorus calling for schools to take a hard look at union contracts dictating who gets to keep their jobs.

The study comes as tens of thousands of teachers around the country stand to lose their jobs next year as federal stimulus money dries up. In most places, union contracts and other policies generally dictate that the least experienced teachers are the first to go.

But that comes at a price, according to the study released exclusively to The Associated Press on Thursday.

The Center for Education Data and Research at

Latest News and Comment from Education