Monday, May 16, 2011

The Whole Child Blog « Whole Child Education

THE WHOLE CHILD BLOG

Setting Priorities for a New Era of Family-School Engagement

May 16th, 2011 by ASCD Whole Child Bloggers

Adapted with permission from “A New Era of Family Engagement,” by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement, 2010, The Education Innovator, IX(5), pp. 1–4. Copyright 2005 by the U.S. Department of Education. Originally featured in ASCD Express.

Research studies point to the need for many more comprehensive, strategic approaches to bringing parents and families into partnerships with schools for the purpose of increasing student achievement.

According to the National Family, School, and Community Engagement Working Group, a leadership collaborative that informs the development and implementation of federal policy related to family, school, and community engagement, there is strong research evidence that “parental beliefs, attitudes, values, and childrearing practices, as well as home-school communication, are linked to student success.”

The Harvard Family Research Project, under the direction of its founder and director Heather B. Weiss, convened a group of key stakeholders in parent and family engagement—including the PTA National Office, the Annenberg Institute for School Reform, and the New York Community Trust—to create the Working Group. The group tasked itself with assessing the quality of available research in order to inform the emerging policy discussions about education reform under the Obama administration.

“There is a skyscraper full of research showing how parent, family, and community engagement is crucial to

School Tech Connect: Have You Called Yet?

Have You Called Yet?

by effacethefacade@yahoo.com (Tim)

Listen, Illinois peeps. They're going to eat your lunch down in Springfield. Lobbyists aren't going to stop them, the idle threat of withholding endorsements isn't going to stop them, and being mad isn't going to stop them. The only thing that's going to stop them is calling, showing up, protesting, and frankly, finding better Democratic candidates and perhaps union leaders with a little pep.

You've got to call now. It's easy--- nobody's going to interrogate you. Here's a recording of my call to my legislator. She's brand new, and I haven't met her. As you can hear, I have a hard time sounding angry on the phone, but I'm basically ready to blow a gasket with this new pension attack. It just seems that our Democratic friends will accept any Republican narrative as long as it's aimed against teachers.

The office aid had a difficult time with the phone--- that's why I'm laughing at the beginning. Frankly, I also couldn't remember the number of the bill but she knew what I was talking about.

Pension Call by tbfurman

Have you called yet? Great! Now, walk down the hallway and ask ten colleagues if they've called. Odds are, none of them have.

Governor: May Revision Would Boost School Funding « State of Emergency

Governor: May Revision Would Boost School Funding

by Leonard Feldman

In a move that could pave the way to increased funding for schools, Gov. Jerry Brown has released his updated budget plan that he says will shrink the budget deficit and provide more than $1.6 billion in new revenues for public education, with a total boost for education of $3 billion year over year. He also rejected a recently released Republican budget proposal as something that would put California “back in the hole” with gimmicks and game that would leave an ongoing structural deficit. That GOP plan would result in additional cuts of $4.1 billion to education.

The governor’s proposal to increase school funding follows a full week of activities in the state Capitol and around the state by CTA and its allies as part of the union’s declaration of a State of Emergency for schools. The concerted actions, which included the arrest of CTA President David. A Sanchez and 26 others outside the offices of two Republican leaders, focused on blocking mor education cuts and securing support for the governor’s tax extension proposal.

CTA members have been pressing Republican lawmakers in particular to provide the two votes in the state

I'll be in California this Week... - Dana Goldstein

I'll be in California this Week...

by Dana Goldstein

...attending the NewSchools Summit in San Francisco and then heading to L.A., where I'll visit Animo Pat Brownand Crenshaw High to do book reporting.

I hope to blog from the NewSchools conference, which is a one-day extravaganza connecting the big-name ed reformers (Joel Klein, Rhee-sucessor Kaya Henderson, KIPP) with the corporate and foundation donors who fund their work (Mark Zuckerberg, Target, Google, Walton Foundation, Broad Foundation). The big focus this year seems to be on technology: how virtual learning, distance learning, and gaming can be employed in the classroom.

We know from Joel Klein's Atlantic essay that some reformers argue that technology makes it feasible to drastically reduce the size of the teaching force. It'll be interesting to observe how the politics of all this are

Leonie Haimson: Class Bias, Class Size and Online Learning

Leonie Haimson

Executive Director, Class Size Matters

GET UPDATES FROM LEONIE HAIMSON

http://www.classsizematters.org/

Class Bias, Class Size and Online Learning

It's not enough that school districts across the country are laying off teachers right and left and increasing class size to intolerable levels. It seems that the D.C. think tanks are absolutely dedicated towards further encouraging this trend and destroying any efforts to retain equitable class sizes in our public schools.

Last week in the Daily News, Chester Finn of the conservative Fordham Institute attacked the whole notion of class size reduction, proposing that putting kids on computers instead would be more cost-effective and get better results:

Technology holds huge potential to magnify the effectiveness of great teachers and customize the educational experience of more students. New York City is experimenting with this potential, and "hybrid" schools around the country are blending face-to-face instruction with high-quality online instruction. No, technology is no panacea, and it does carry some near-term costs. In the long run, though, it will save money for districts and states while also delivering

Sacramento Public Schools in Crisis: False Promises; Real Solutions (33)

Sacramento Public Schools in Crisis: False Promises; Real Solutions

Kate Lenox

Time	Tuesday, May 24 · 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Location	Sol Collective 2574 21st St. Sacramento, CA

Created By	Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education

More Info	What is causing school "failures"? Why testing is hurting, not helping kids succeed? Who is behind the "education reform" agenda ? The Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education presents a workshop Sacramento Public Schools in Crisis: False Promises; Real Solutions A presentation and panel discussion on the crisis in public education and what activists can do to help prevent the privatization of public education and improve our schools. Tuesday, May 24 6:30-8:00 PM Sol Collective 2574 21st St., Sacramento, CA 95818 Panelists include: Susie Sheilds, parent; Lori Jablonski, high school teacher; Eric Vega, community activist; Carlos Rico, elementary school teacher; Kerri Asbury, special education teacher; Chris Neihuas, community organizer; Kate Lenox, parent of SCUSD gradutes. Refreshments provided.

Supporting Teachers Through Family Engagement | ED.gov Blog

Supporting Teachers Through Family Engagement

Posted on May 16, 2011 by Guest Blogger

Ed. Note: Mandy Grisham is an urban music educator from Memphis Tennessee, and a mother of two boys, ages five and two. She was a recent delegate to ParentingMagazine’s second annual meeting of the Mom Congress. Here she shares her impressions from a recent town hall on education reform and offers her own suggestions for how parents can support their child’s education.

Last week I had the opportunity to join, via satellite, some of the country’s leading education reform advocates in an education reform National Town Hall Meeting, held in Washington, D.C. The town hall participants included Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller, House Committee on Education and Workforce Ranking Member George Miller (D-Calif.), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Sen. Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), and Harlem Children’s Zone founder Geoffrey Canada.

After hearing about many different reform efforts, it’s obvious that government at all levels can have a significant impact over what happens in a child’s life during school hours. But what goes on in the child’s life after school is often out of the hands of our elected officials.

Most of us can agree that the people who influence a child during these post-school hours are an important factor that cannot be left out of the reform movement equation. So what can we do as parents to support teachers, and improve the quality of education our children receive?

1. Engage with your child, first and foremost. Family engagement begins at home. Whatever your family looks like, take time to play and talk with your child. Ask questions like “what was your favorite part of the day?” Or, “Tell me something interesting that happened today?” If this is the most you can do, then stop right here and do it well!

2. Engage with your child’s friends and their families. “It takes a village to raise a child.” So find out what other parents are learning from their children.

3. Engage with your child’s teachers. Most teachers are eager to partner with you to help make the most of those hours your child is at school. The more they hear from you, the more they know you really care.

4. Engage with your child’s school. Look for ways to serve the PTA or Leadership Council. Ask what skills you have that may serve them.

5. Engage with the system. Get to know your school board members and learn about the budget. Districts will be spending the most money on the matters most important to them. If you don’t agree with the choices, get involved.

6. Engage the government. It only takes a few squeaky wheels to get a politician’s attention and make a difference. Make yourself available to be a “parent on the field.” When they need feedback from their constituents, be available to offer your opinion.

- Mandy Grisham

If you missed the reform town hall, you can still watch it by clicking here.

The Future of Schools - Three Design Scenarios - Copy / Paste by Peter Pappas

The Future of Schools - Three Design Scenarios

by Peter Pappas

Richard Elmore and Elizabeth City of Harvard Graduate School of Education wrote a powerful piece in Education Week "Using Technology to Move Beyond Schools" (May, 16, 2011).

Since it's behind a subscription paywall, I thought I'd quote it broadly to help spread its powerful message. For my thoughts on the subject please see my post "What Happens in Schools When Life Has become an Open-book Test?"

“What proportion of the activity called ‘learning’ will be located in the institution called ‘school’?” The availability of relatively cheap technologies offering direct access to knowledge of all types creates opportunities for students to experience a dramatic increase in the choice of what they learn, with whom they choose to learn, and how they choose to learn. How will the institution called “school” survive in this environment, in what form will it survive, and what would schools look like if they chose not just to “survive” but to find a productive place in this new environment?

With rare exceptions, schools currently treat the digital revolution as if it never happened. Computers, more

Schooling in the Ownership Society: The People's Business

The People's Business

by Mike Klonsky

From The People's Business by Lee Drutman and Charlie Cray

...corporations have also established a stronghold in both education and the media. Today, corporate ties to universities run deep, and their designs on our system of public education are growing daily." (p.6)

When corporations begin to control the delivery of essential services like water, education, and health care, we can find ourselves in a troubling situation where making money becomes more important than providing

The Single Stupidest Sentence in the Psychology Today Piece on Black Women’s Attractiveness « Student Activism

The Single Stupidest Sentence in the Psychology Today Piece on Black Women’s Attractiveness

by Angus Johnston

The internet is blowing up this morning over Psychology Today’s latest bit of linkbait, a supposedly scholarly analysis that claims to prove that black women are less attractive than other women, and speculates as to why.

The whole thing is a pile of crap. Not just because it’s absurdly racist and obnoxious (which it is), but because it’s utterly scientifically incoherent. There’s a lot of stupidity in the piece, and I’ll be linking to some more thorough takedowns later. But for me, one sentence stood out from all the others:

“For example, because they have existed much longer in human evolutionary history, Africans have more mutations in their genomes than other races.”

I’ll repeat that: Because they have existed much longer in human evolutionary history, Africans have more mutations in their genomes.

Why is this the stupidest sentence in the whole stupid article? Because — and I can’t believe I even have to type

May Revise Summary Governor's Revised Budget - Revised Budget Summary

Governor's Revised Budget - Revised Budget Summary

Revised Budget Summary

The Revised Budget Summary provides an update of revenues, expenditures, and reserve estimates based upon the latest economic forecast and changes in population, caseload, or enrollment estimates.


	To access the entire Revised Budget Summary document in a printable format (pdf), click here:
	Revised Budget Summary - All Chapters (pdf * - 1588K)

BUDGET SUMMARY CHAPTERS Back to Top


Introduction (pdf * - 539K)	Summary Charts(pdf * - 311K)	Economic Outlook(pdf * - 291K)
Revenue Estimates(pdf * - 288K)	Legislative, Judicial, and Executive (pdf *- 57K)	State and Consumer Services(pdf * - 44K)
Business, Transportation, and Housing (pdf * - 66K)	Natural Resources(pdf * - 51K)	Environmental Protection (pdf * - 42K)
Health and Human Services (pdf * - 113K)	K thru 12 Education(pdf * - 75K)	Higher Education(pdf * - 56K)
Labor and Workforce Development (pdf * - 48K)	Corrections and Rehabilitation (pdf * - 56K)	General Government: Non-Agency Departments (pdf * - 57K)
Tax Relief and Local Government (pdf * - 44K)	Statewide Expenditures (pdf * - 50K)	Realignment (pdf * - 152K)
Reducing State Government (pdf * - 112K)

		Go to the Revised Budget Detail web pages.
		Go to the Proposed Budget Summary web site (January 2011).
		Go to the Proposed Budget Detail web site (January 2011).

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