Branstad Looks to Place His Chips on Centralization of Education | Truth in American Education

Branstad Looks to Place His Chips on Centralization of Education | Truth in American Education:

Branstad Looks to Place His Chips on Centralization of Education

by Shane Vander Hart

Do you remember when Republicans used to be considered the party of local control?  I don’t think they can accurately be portrayed that way anymore, at least not when you look at the leadership within the party.  There has been a bipartisan assault at the federal level by former President George W. Bush with No Child Left Behind and President Barack Obama with Race to the Top, the Common Core State Standards, dictating school lunch menus and portions and the No Child Left Behind waivers.  Unfortunately Mitt Romney doesn’t look like he’s going to be much better especially since he’s been getting his education policy advise from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who has been a Republican cheerleader of the Common Core State Standards.

States have, by and large, allowed this to happen.

At the state level it isn’t much better.  Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s track record on local control has been abysmal, and this upcoming legislative session look for more of the same.  He’s going to keep trying to push 

Pass / Fail : Calif. court overturns LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : Calif. court overturns LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption | 89.3 KPCC:

Calif. court overturns LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption

by By Tami Abdollah

The California 2nd District Court of Appeal has invalidated LAUSD's 'last hired, first fired' exemption at 45 schools. Credit: Cayoup/Flickr (Creative Commons-licensed)
A major class-action settlement that gives LAUSD teachers layoff protection at several dozen schools in high-poverty areas has been invalidated by the California 2nd District Court of Appeal.
The 2 to 1 decision, with Associate Justice Kathryn Doi Todd dissenting and Associate Justice Judith Ashmann-Gerst and Associate Justice Victoria M. Chavez concurring, focuses on the technical aspects of Reed vs. United 

DREAMers: Mothers look forward to your success with the Deferred Action process, and we urge caution when applying ! « MomsRising Blog

DREAMers: Mothers look forward to your success with the Deferred Action process, and we urge caution when applying ! « MomsRising Blog:

DREAMers: Mothers look forward to your success with the Deferred Action process, and we urge caution when applying !

by Mary Olivella

While we continue the momentum towards passage of the DREAM Act, mothers across the country are standing in support of the 1.76 million immigrant youth who will be able, starting August 15, 2012, to seek a form of administrative relief from deportation.
This first step in the long-awaited deportation relief for youth who came to our country as children is an immense victory for families across the nation.  With that said, MomsRising, an online and on-the-ground family-oriented advocacy group of more than one million members across the nation, urges people to be very careful and thorough when applying for this new process.
At MomsRising we are absolutely thrilled that families with DREAM-eligible youth can begin to have peace-of-mind thanks to this deferred action,  although the DREAM Act is still necessary to provide youth with a permanent solution.  In applying for deferred action,we ask our youth and their parents to be very cautious when 

HechingerEd Blog | Some states resisting Obama administration ed-reform requirements

HechingerEd Blog | Some states resisting Obama administration ed-reform requirements:

Some states resisting Obama administration ed-reform requirements

by Sarah Garland

This week the Obama administration announced it had released a total of 33 states from some No Child Left Behind requirements with the approval of Nevada’s application for a waiver from the law. “While well intentioned, the law’s rigid, top-down prescriptions for reform have proved burdensome for many states,” a statement from the U.S. Department of Education said.
But some states seem to be feeling the same way about the Obama administration’s own prescriptions for reform.

(photo courtesy of Daniel J. Calderón)

Georgia is in a contentious battle with the feds over the money it won through the Race to the Top competition. The Department of Education has threatened to reduce the state’s award by $33 million after Georgia changed 

New Resources to Make the Financial Aid Process Easier | ED.gov Blog

New Resources to Make the Financial Aid Process Easier | ED.gov Blog:

New Resources to Make the Financial Aid Process Easier

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Guest Blogger

Cross-posted from the White House Office of Public Engagement

Earlier this year, I had the most amazing opportunity – to be part of a dynamic and creative team of people who are making it easier for high-school students and adult learners to achieve their dreams of going to college.  I work at the Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) which provides over $150 billion in grants, loans and work-study funds every year to individuals going to college and career schools.  This summer, we launched a new website along with a Facebook page, a Twitter account and, a YouTube channel.  Each of these new resources are designed to make it easier for students and parents to understand and navigate the financial aid process.

What makes it exciting for me is that I know these new resources will help Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders like me achieve their dreams for higher education.  I, along with many of my family members and friends, was able to go to college and graduate school because we had access to financial aid.  Below is an overview of all of FSA’s new resources that you can now take advantage of. I hope you take the time to go through the resources and that they help you achieve your academic dreams.

If you’re a student thinking about college or career school or a borrower already in repayment, the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid has launched some exciting new tools to help you through the financial aid process.

StudentAid.gov is a new website that provides straightforward and easy-to-understand information about planning and paying for college. The site combines content and interactive tools from several ED websites.

StudentAid.gov offers more than just information in an easy-to-read format; it also features videos and infographics to help answer the most frequently asked questions about financial aid.

As a mobile-optimized website, StudentAid.gov is fully accessible on tablets and smartphones. StudentAid.gov’s new look was tested with students, parents and borrowers, and we will continue to make improvements and updates based on your feedback.

Some New Features:

Income-Based Repayment Calculator: If your student loan debt is high but your income is modest, you may qualify for the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR). To find out whether you might be eligible to repay your loan under IBR, use our new IBR calculator.

Videos: We’ve developed videos to help make the financial aid process easier to understand. We’ll continue to roll out new videos and update our playlists on the Federal Student Aid YouTube channel.

Infographics: Our infographics will help you understand what steps you need to take to get money for college or career school.

Social Media: In addition to StudentAid.gov, Federal Student Aid has also launched Twitter and  Facebook  to offer you alternative options to learn about the student aid process.

Vandna Wendy Bhagat is the Director of Awareness and Outreach for the Office of Federal Student Aid at the U.S. Department of Education.

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Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline' - CNN.com

Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline' - CNN.com:

Feds: Mississippi county runs 'school-to-prison pipeline'

By Michael Martinez, CNN

updated 5:08 PM EDT, Fri August 10, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• U.S. Justice Department accuses Lauderdale County of violating constitutional rights of pupils
• Juveniles accused of school offenses are jailed and not given due process, feds say
• African-Americans and children with disabilities are most affected
• In 2010, the county settled a separate class-action suit and pledged juvenile justice reforms

(CNN) -- Officials in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, have operated "a school-to-prison pipeline" that violates the constitutional rights of juveniles by incarcerating them for alleged school disciplinary infractions, some as minor as defiance, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.

"Students most affected by this system are African-American children and children with disabilities," the Justice Department said.

The federal agency's civil rights division seeks "meaningful negotiations" in 60 days to end the constitutional violations or else a federal lawsuit would be filed against state, county and local officials in Meridian, according to a Justice Department letter dated Friday to those officials.

The letter also names two Lauderdale County Youth Court judges, 

Ed Roundup for 8-10-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

Ed Roundup for 8-10-12 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

Education Roundup for the Week Ending August 10, 2012

SACRAMENTO—The California Department of Education (CDE) today issued this week's Education Roundup of education-related announcements of public interest.

More High School Career Technical Education
Courses Now Meet Rigorous UC Standards

More than 10,000 high school career technical education (CTE) courses now meet the rigorous college preparatory course standards, known as "a-g," that are used for admission at the University of California and California State University.

That's nearly one-fourth of the 37,867 CTE courses in the state, according to a joint annual report issued recently by the California Department of Education and the University of California Office of the President. By comparison, only 258 courses met that standard in 2000-01.

This upward trend demonstrates today's CTE courses do more than teach students a trade or specialized skill. They now blend in with a solid core of rigorous academic instruction to ensure students are ready for careers and college, if they choose, in preparation for the economy's increasingly complex high-tech jobs.

The annual report, California High School Career Technical Education Courses Meeting University of California "a-g" Admission Requirements for 2011–12 (DOC; 1MB)  , offers information on these CTE courses, which "a-g" requirement they meet, and where they are taught in California's public schools.

For more information about the "a-g" requirements, visit the University of California's "a-g" Guide  . For lists of approved CTE courses, visit the University of California Doorways  Web site.

California Student Named National
President of Prestigious Student Organization

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today congratulated Cupertino student Nikitas Kanellakopoulos for being elected and installed as the 2012-13 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)  National President.

Kanellakopoulos is a junior at Monta Vista High School in the Fremont Union High School District in the Santa Clara County city of Cupertino.

FBLA is a national education association designed to help prepare students for careers in business and business-related fields. There is also a California FBLA that helps secondary students build business career experience and learn about civic and personal responsibility. FBLA and California FBLA are part of a number of career technical student organizations recognized by the California Department of Education to provide students with increased leadership development, and industry-based competitions to demonstrate their career readiness.

This is part of Torlakson's California Career Readiness Initiative designed to lower the student dropout rate in California and provide high school graduates with the skills needed to pursue further education and training as they prepare to enter the workforce.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

School Tech Connect: The National Idiocy

School Tech Connect: The National Idiocy:

The National Idiocy

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

When I get into a conversation about the Common Core, I try to ask the person I'm talking to to identify a particular standard in the CCS that he or she finds superior to its counterpart in the current Illinois Learning Standards. Nobody can ever name anything. Nobody has any idea what this is about, I find.

Try it sometime. You get this stare and a stuttered statement about them just being more rigorous or whatever. It's all magical thinking. Like this new set of standards is going to level the huge diversity in student backgrounds, interests, aptitudes, and habits that teachers confront under the current set of standards. That 

Bain Capital, Stand for Children and Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education

Bain Capital, Stand for Children and Initiative 1240 | Seattle Education:

Bain Capital, Stand for Children and Initiative 1240

by seattleducation2011

 

Birds of a feather and all, Stand for Children, which is about the takeover of our public schools, has not only received donations from members of Bain Capital but the Managing Director at Bain Capital is on the Board of Directors for Stand for Children. Oh what a web…
Stand for Children is also behind Initiative 1240 in our state which is an illegal maneuver to privatize our public schools by setting up charter schools with no local or state oversight by a public entity. See the article Why Initiative 1240 is Unconstitutional by David Spring.

To get a better understanding of the history of Stand for Children, check out an article published in Rethinking Schools, For or Against Children?

For an article that begins to connect the dots between ALEC, Bain Capital and Stand for Children, see:

Corporate Reformer Bain Capital Much Like Terrible Corporate Education Reformers

Bain Capital has received a lot of negative press lately from President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign as 

Schools Matter: Students Want a Voice in Ed Policy

Schools Matter: Students Want a Voice in Ed Policy:

Students Want a Voice in Ed Policy

by Judy Rabin

Students stand up against high stakes testing, corporate education reform.

Blogger Nikhil Goyal Common Core and Race to the Top are destructive.

Day 33: SOS Convention and Featured in Newsday

Posted: August 4, 2012 | Author: Nikhil Goyal | Filed under: Posts |2 Comments »

Today, I had a fabulous time at the Save Our Schools Convention in Washington D.C.
I left my house at 7 AM sharp, hopped on a 8:45 flight from J.F.K., and arrived in D.C. a little more than a hour later.

Ravitch v. Rhee Fills Summer Lull – SchoolBook

Ravitch v. Rhee Fills Summer Lull – SchoolBook:

Ravitch v. Rhee Fills Summer Lull

by Patricia Willens

In the quiet days of August, after summer school ends and before principals return to work, followers of education issues and news found it a good time to re-hash ongoing debates, ourselves included.
WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show re-aired interviews from leaders of different schools of thought regarding education reform. First up, former Washington, D.C. schools chancellor and the founder of Students First, Michelle Rhee, on the occasion of launching a New York chapter, studentsfirstNY. You can hear the interview here:

Next, the show aired a taped interview with Diane Ravitch, a research professor of education at New York University and author. The discussion focuses on school performance and the frustration some teachers feel about standardized testing. You can hear it here:

The Rhee versus Ravitch showdown also appeared on CNN this week. In an interview, Ms. Rhee decried the 

New Student Labor History Resource « Student Activism

New Student Labor History Resource « Student Activism:

New Student Labor History Resource

by Angus Johnston

This is really cool.
The Student Labor Action Project, a group that works with students across the US on economic justice organizing, has just completed a year-by-year history of its work. Here’s a sample, chosen pretty much at random:

2006

SLAP students at Temple University and University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia waged a campaign against security guard firm, AlliedBarton. Philly SLAP and the city’s Jobs with Justice coalition held numerous marches and protests to try and secure a living wage and benefits for security officers working on campuses and throughout the city. In Vermont, SLAP students also ran a living wage campaign for campuses workers. The National Student Labor Week of Action featured 250 actions on campuses. In 

Jersey Jazzman: Ledger Logic

Jersey Jazzman: Ledger Logic:

Ledger Logic

by Duke

The Star-Ledger Editorial Board confronts logic.

Hoo boy:

New Jersey’s teacher tenure bill was signed into law this week, a resounding victory in the first round of the reform fight — but it’s not over yet.

To get that crucial legislation passed, reformers had to abandon their push to end the practice known as “last in, first out,” which protects absolute seniority rights during times of layoffs. The state’s largest teachers union insisted upon it.

Now, that sacrifice will fall hardest on cities such as Newark that face hundreds of layoffs over the next few years. They’ll be forced to purge their younger teachers, 

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What is the Policy Writing Process?

Seattle Schools Community Forum: What is the Policy Writing Process?:

What is the Policy Writing Process?

by Charlie Mas

As the day nears when the Board will vote on Policy 2200, Equitable Access to Programs and Services, I have to wonder about the policy writing process. I have to wonder because I don't understand how such a poorly conceived policy could be written in the first place or how such a badly written policy could advance so far without major re-writing. Who is in control of the policy writing and what is the process by which policies are formed, drafted, amended, and approved?

I presumed, perhaps incorrectly, that the language of the policies are drafted by staff, but that the contents of the policies come from the Board. So when the draft version of Policy 2200, for example, specifically exempts a number of programs from the equitable access policy and makes their creation and location a site-based decision outside the superintendent's authority, I have to believe that a Board member either directed or guided the staff to write that exemption into the policy. When the policy drops the requirement for transparency in program placement decisions, I have to believe that it does so because a Board member guided or directed the 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Friday, August 10, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Jamestown, California

Education Headlines

Friday, August 10, 2012

Alvord to keep police on campuses

Riverside police officers will be stationed at La Sierra and Norte Vista high schools when classes start Monday, the Alvord school board decided in a 3-2 decision.

Security cameras to roll at Novato high schools

A presence at most of Marin's high schools for several years, security cameras will roll at Novato's two main high schools for the first time this fall after the district completes a $177,000 installation project.

LAUSD chief John Deasy's back-to-school pep talk includes promise to get teachers, students computer tablets

Setting an ambitious agenda for the new school year, Superintendent John Deasy urged Los Angeles Unified leaders Thursday to continue efforts to boost student achievement, and also vowed to get them the computers needed to get the job done.

Charter school operators will try again for third Livermore site

Undaunted by the state's rejection, administrators of the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation say they will resubmit an application to open a third charter school in town.

San Francisco 49ers, South Bay schools settle $30 million tax dispute

Settling a dispute over precious tax funds that pitted pro football against schools, the San Francisco 49ers and local education leaders on Thursday agreed to share millions of dollars dedicated for the team's new stadium to stave off classroom cuts.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Fresno USD, trustees at odds over legal spending disclosure

An attempt by Fresno Unified trustees to shed light on details of the district's legal costs for special education cases and other litigation was rebuffed Wednesday by district officials.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Education roundup: Greenfield poised to borrow money to pay bills

The Greenfield Union School District board on Wednesday is expected to approve a resolution to borrow $15 million from the Kern County Board of Education to help make ends meet, and also review a new board policy that will have trustees pay 10 percent of their medical benefits.

Lodi Unified secures energy funds

Lodi Unified will take on a $1 million loan from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to pay for energy-saving upgrades at six north Stockton school sites, hoping the fixes will save the district $116,000 over a 10-year period.

Palo Alto education foundation announces $4.75M fundraising goal

In response to ongoing state budget cuts, Palo Alto Partners in Education announced Tuesday it aims to surpass last year's record donation to the Palo Alto Unified School District. The nonprofit education foundation's 2012-13 fundraising target is $4.75 million, or $250,000 more than what it gave this year.

School district, union reach settlement

With two days left before the beginning of school, the Jurupa Unified School District and the union representing teachers, counselors and nurses, announced on Monday, Aug. 6, that they had reached a tentative agreement for the 2012-13 school year.

Bond measure approved for ballot

Temecula school board members voted unanimously Tuesday morning to put a $165 million bond before voters in November.

Last-second preparations as school opens Wednesday

Major renovation took place this summer at most schools in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District — all thanks to proceeds from Measure P, the $110 million bond voters approved in 2010.

$260 million could go to much needed repairs at Valley schools

Come November, San Ramon Valley voters will be asked to approve a $260 million bond measure to cover school repairs, renovations and new construction.

Report: Ravenswood has nation's highest suspension rates for Asian/Pacific Islander students

The Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto has suspended nearly one in five Asian/Pacific Islander students, the highest suspension rate for that ethnic group in the nation, according to a study released Tuesday by UCLA's Center for Civil Rights Remedies.

This Week In Education: NCLB: No Waiver? No Problem - Except For California

This Week In Education: NCLB: No Waiver? No Problem - Except For California:

NCLB: No Waiver? No Problem - Except For California

by Alexander Russo

Don't cry for the states that haven't gotten an NCLB waiver yet -- or haven't requested one.  There's really only just one state I can find -- California -- that has requested a waiver but not gotten one but doesn't also have an AMO freeze in its back pocket.
Several states without waivers have gotten one year freezes on changing their annual measurable objectives -- meaning that they don't have to raise the minimum proficiency scores for AYP as required under AYP.  I'm told that the 8 states that requred and got approved for an AMO freeze for the upcoming year are Alabama  Alaska Maine West Virginia  Idaho Illinois Iowa and Kansas.  South Dakota 

RheeFirst! » Second lawmaker rejects StudentsFirst endorsement

RheeFirst! » Second lawmaker rejects StudentsFirst endorsement:

Second lawmaker rejects StudentsFirst endorsement

by admin

Can anyone else recall an organization so toxic that two legislators have publicly spoken out against the group making independent expenditures for them?
Yesterday, Connecticut’s The Day reported that Tom Reynolds (D-Ledyard) had rejected the endorsement of StudentsFirst’s sneaky Connecticut front group.
Reynolds’ statement reads, in part, “I never sought this group’s endorsement or support, and we do not condone their agenda or tactics.”
Readers may recall that this is not the first time a progressive legislator balked at support from StudentsFirst.  In 

School Tech Connect: On Hiring The Wrong People

School Tech Connect: On Hiring The Wrong People:

On Hiring The Wrong People

by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Furman)

I'm just going to point out here that Dennis Van Roekel is not personally responsible for the headline of this article, which is dreadful...

...but he doesn't do himself any favors in the way he answers question, either. I think he's trying to point out that as a nation, we don't want to be hiring these two-year temps, but there's got to be a clearer way to say that so that the messaging doesn't look like what it looks like--- which is to say, "teachers suck."

If I had more time, I'd do a little research on his messages throughout his term, and I'd wager that what I'd find is