FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Wednesday, April 23, 2014

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Autism cases increase by 8% among Calif. public school students

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Education Headlines

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

FCMAT provides links to California K-12 news stories as a service to the industry. However, some stories may not be accessible because of newspapers' subscription policies.

Stockton USD to vote on charter in May

The Stockton Unified School District has 30 days to decide if it will recommend approval of a new dual immersion language and International Baccalaureate charter school on Fremont Street.

Gonzales schools banking on bond

The school bond initiative would provide $16.9 million toward building a new elementary school and upgrades at La Gloria Elementary and Fairview Middle schools.

Monterey school district delays naming superintendent

The contract was ready to be approved. A recess to welcome the new top administrator was on the agenda. But at the last minute, plans to appoint a new superintendent for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District were dropped from Tuesday's regular trustee meeting.

Autism cases increase by 8% among Calif. public school students

The number of California public school students who have been diagnosed with autism increased by 8% from 2013 to 2014, bringing the total number of diagnosed children in the state to nearly 79,000, according to data from the state Department of Education, the Sacramento Bee reports.

California's drought ripples through businesses, then to schools

One area that has officials worried is the effect on education in places affected by the drought. Jane Brittell, the principal at Lorena Falasco Elementary School in Los Banos, a town about 35 miles north of Mendota, says she's worried that the drought will force families to leave and pull their kids out of school.

Bond firm's gifts to California school officials probed

California’s political watchdog is investigating whether school officials failed to report gifts from municipal bond underwriter Stone & Youngberg, now a unit of Stifel Financial Corp. (SF)

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Common Core boosts push for technology in classrooms

If there’s one thing certain about Common Core, it’s that technology will play a much bigger role in Ventura County classrooms.

Yoga program to expand beyond Encinitas

The foundation that brought yoga to Encinitas elementary schools will hold an open house to announce plans to expand the program nationally Wednesday night.

Sweetwater board backs agreement with teachers

The three remaining trustees on the Sweetwater Union High School District board voted unanimously Monday to approve a contract agreement with the district’s teachers union.

Credit card spending could cost Van Nuys school its charter

Charter High School of the Arts in Van Nuys could lose its charter because officials failed to act when a former employee racked up $27,000 in personal expenses on her school credit card.

Orinda school board refuses to hear complaint against principal

Three years after hearing complaints from parents about what they claim is strict and overly harsh punishment of students by an elementary school principal, a majority of Orinda School District trustees have voted down an appeal to hear a new complaint filed by a teacher against the administrator.

D.A. says no charges warranted over L.A. schools' iPad contract

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office has reviewed an internal L.A. school district report on its iPad contract and concluded that criminal charges are not warranted.

EdSource: Santa Ana Unified caters to parents to boost accountability meeting attendance

Retired principal Frances Byfield used translators, meals, babysitting, and prize raffles to motivate parents to attend the district’s 23 LCAP community workshops. Each meeting venue was prepped in advance to identify locations to set up audio-visual equipment, childcare services, and meals consisting of turkey sandwiches in the evenings and coffeecake in the mornings.

LAUSD District 1 Election:

Replacing Marguerite LaMotte in LAUSD District 1

By Robert D. Skeels

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“Someone said to me chartering schools re-institutes segregation, we need to think about that.” — The late, Honorable Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte

As the runner up in the 2013 LAUSD District 2 election, and as a long time public education advocate, activist, and essayist, I have a keen interest in LAUSD politics. I’ve been studying the District 1 Special Election from a social justice perspective. Let me summarize the candidates running for LAUSD Board of Education District 1 seat. There are four professional educators, and three wholly unqualified opportunists running for the position.

I’ve endorsed Sherlett Hendy Newbill and believe she is the best candidate of the four educators running. Her amazing story is inspiring, and she has proven that she puts community and students first in practice, not in rhetoric. I’ve contributed to the Sherlett Hendy Newbill campaign and will work to get her elected. I also have much respect for, and support both Hattie McFrazier, and Rachel Johnson. All three of these women deserve our admiration for their selfless dedication to the students of Los Angeles. Any of the three would be worthy to sit in the seat of the venerable Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte, the late board member whose courage in standing up to neoliberalism and corporate domination of our school board was peerless.

If George McKenna ends up in runoff against one of the non-educators (listed below), I will support him. I know there are mixed feelings about McKenna. People I know and trust, including the highly celebrated Judy Perez of the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles, have spoken highly of him. The teachers of Miramonte ES, and others have also spoken on his behalf. On the other hand, other people I trust, including teachers from the former Fremont, Crenshaw, and Dorsey high schools have a much different perspective on McKenna.

Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte

The other three candidates shouldn’t even warrant mention. Unfortunately their disdain of public education and the professional educators serving our school children have garnered them tons of contributions from reactionaries and business interests. There is no shortage of well-heeled charter school tycoons, right-wing business bankers, and contract wielding real estate developers ready to invest in LAUSD District 1 Election:

4-23-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

Getty Museum Adds 77,000 Images To Public Domain

Last August, I published a post titled Getty Museum Makes Nearly 5,000 Public Domain Images Available Online — Will Increase In Future. Well, they did just that this week, adding 77,000 more images to the public domain. They can be used for any purpose by anyone, as long as they give proper attribution. You can read more about it at Open Culture and at The Getty. I’m adding this info to The Best

by Larry Ferlazzo / 4min 

Apparently, Today Is Both “World Book Night” & “UN English Language Day” – Here Are The Best Resources For Both

It’s a little confusing to me, but UNESCO says today is apparently both “World Book Night” and “UN English Language Day.” I use the word “confusing” because UNESCO has also declared March 6th as World Book Day (see The Best Resources For World Book Day). My sense is that UNESCO’s strategy is March 6th is for celebration reading in general, and today, April 23rd, emphasizes book-giving. I’d be hap

by Larry Ferlazzo / 13min 

“How Can We Best Respond To Student Grief?”

How Can We Best Respond To Student Grief? is the new “question-of-the-week” at my Education Week Teacher column. Your responses are welcome there or here…

by Larry Ferlazzo / 57min 

My New Radio Program: “How Can Administrators Help Support an Engaging Curriculum in the Classroom?”

My new BAM! Radio program is on How Can Administrators Help Support an Engaging Curriculum in the Classroom? Kelly Young (who I consider to be my primary mentor) and Anne Reeves are my guests in this nine-minute podcast.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min

Another Big Surprise: Reflection Helps Learning

Hot on the heels of Another Shocker – NOT! Students Respond Better To Support Than Threats, yet another study has been released finding something that has been obvious to teachers for years — reflecting on a learning experience enhances it. Here’s how the Harvard Business Journal summarized the results: Research participants who did an arithmetic brain-teaser and then reflected on their strategie

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min hide  //  save

Google Street View Adds “Go Back In Time” Feature Today

There are a number of sites out there that let you click on a location in Google Street View and then show you historical images of that same site going back many, many years. And you can access the best of them at The Best Historical Photo + Video Map-Based Sites. Today, Google has announced their own somewhat similar (though far more limited) “Go Back In Time” feature – they’ve put photos from

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1min 

4-22-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: Another Shocker – NOT! Students Respond Better To Support Than ThreatsYet another study has found that threats of punishment is not a very effective motivating tactic. You can read a summary of this new study at Science Daily, Teachers’ scare tactics may lead to lower exam scores. And if you want to read about a zillion oth

by mike simpson / 19min 

The Disconnected Rhetoric of a Forgotten Superintendent | Classroom Struggle

The Disconnected Rhetoric of a Forgotten Superintendent | Classroom Struggle:





The Disconnected Rhetoric of a Forgotten Superintendent

Tony Smith’s recent anti-teacher editorial in support of the plaintiffs in the Vergara v. California supreme court case, published by the OaklandTribune (a historically and current right-wing pro-business rag) comes as no surprise toClassroom Struggle. His departure–from the lucrative post as superintendent of Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)–was precipitated by teacher, student, and parent-led protests of school closings/union busting/closure of Adult Education, and two Oakland Schools police scandals.  As Smith oversaw a record influx of charter schools, and a number of public school closures, the flood of protest resistance rose higher than the flood waters at the 2ND Avenue OUSD Administration offices, which forced a relocation to the former Cole Middle School — a school later replaced by an Oakland Schools police substation and eventually a charter school move-in. The amount of money Tony Smith’s leadership wasted on administration and consultants coupled with an annual failure to spend the mandated 55% of budget funds on classrooms, should shed light what Tony Smith actually did as Superintendent of Oakland Schools. This oft-spoken advocate of critical race theory and strident supporter of young African American men, is gone and forgotten, though the legacy of his devastating policies present the public with important work to organize against and overturn these corporate/private attacks on public education.

In contrast to the teacher, student, and parent outrage at Tony Smith’s policies, his plans were met with a minimum level of resistance by the Oakland teachers’ union, the Oakland Education Association (OEA). The only minor pushback consisted of a widely respected one-day strike in response to Smith and the The Disconnected Rhetoric of a Forgotten Superintendent | Classroom Struggle:

Mission and Vision: Which Direction Are You Rowing? | Connected Principals

Mission and Vision: Which Direction Are You Rowing? | Connected Principals:

Mission and Vision: Which Direction Are You Rowing?

by Tom Martellone • April 23, 2014 • 0 Comments

Have you ever been part of a team sport?  I’ve never been a person to participate in group sports activities.  Golfing and snowboarding are activities I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy doing on my own.  While I have never participated in it, rowing is one sport which requires a high level of interaction and coordination among teammates.

Every member of a rowing team must be certain to move in a calculated rhythm that helps the team move in a forward motion.  One or two wrong strokes of an oar can result in the team either moving in the wrong direction or not getting to where they need to go, specifically, losing a race.

Working within a vision or mission are much the same as being part of a rowing team.  A well focused rowing team knows why they are rowing and what they need to do to stay in synchronization.  Every person on that team  knows their specific role and how they contribute to the team.  Additionally, they all know which direction they need to row in, and they know the certainty of what will happen if one of them should be rowing out of sync or in the wrong direction.

School mission and vision statements provide the same framework and structure as a team of skilled, synchronized rowers.  Your school mission statement “brands” why you are there and what your purpose is. It provides, or should provide, the lens through which all of your decisions get made.

Often times, staff have gone through mission writing exercises only to come up with either a lofty or unclear mission statement that worse yet, gets published and no one ever looks at.  If the mission of your school is not clear, how do you make decisions and are your staff focused on why they are truly there?

Similarly with vision, where do you want your school to be heading? What do you want to be known for? A team that Mission and Vision: Which Direction Are You Rowing? | Connected Principals:

4-23-14 National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity

National Opportunity to Learn Campaign | Education Reform for Equity and Opportunity:

Partnerships, NOT Pushouts: New Policy Guide for School Boards

A new policy guide released today details how school board members can lead the way in securing a high quality education for each and every student in their district. Partnerships, NOT Pushouts New "Whole-Child" Policy Guide for School Board Members read more

63 by jocelyn / 35min 

Revival From the Roots: A Tour of Philly's Neighborhood Schools

Publication Date:  Thu, 2014-04-17 The first video in a three-part series, "Revival From the Roots: A Tour of Philly's Neighborhood Schools" follows Jerry Jordan, President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and Hellen Gym, parent and education advocate, as they hear firsthand from students, parents and teachers fighting to turn around public education from the bottom

by jocelyn / 35min 

Huge Drop in Suspensions and Expulsions in Colorado

After years of organizing work, advocates in Colorado won statewide school discipline reform in 2012. Padres & Jovenes Unidos, the leading voice behind the new law, has released a report card detailing the law's success during its first year.  The parents of Padres & Jovenes Unidos have been a leading force in the school discipline reform movement in Colorado. read more

by jocelyn / 35min 

600 Philly Students "Missing" After Mass School Closures

Philadelphia student group Youth United for Change has launched a campaign to identify some 600 students who "went missing" in the wake of the city's mass school closures last year. Photo via Philly.com read more

by jocelyn / 35min 

What Are Community Schools?

At the Community Schools National Forum in Cincinnati last week, top educators from the US and abroad learned about a powerful new model for supporting all students and improving our nation's schools. Check out pictures and video from the event! The key to ensuring access to educational opportunity for each and every child is to build a strong public school at the heart of every commu

by jocelyn / 35min 

Webinar Series: So You Want Fair School Funding...

How do we fund schools fairly and equitably for all children? And how can advocates and organizers lead the way? Join us for two upcoming webinars on April 22 and May 7! Webinar Series: So You Want Fair School Funding... But Where Does the Money Come From? How YOU can lead the fight to invest more in our public schools read more

78 by jocelyn / 35min 

A Snapshot of the Nation's Education Inequities

The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights released data from all of the nation's 97,000 public schools, offering the most complete snapshot of educational opportunity in America and shining a light on the deep inequities in access to resources like pre-k, college counselors, advanced courses and experienced teachers.  That disparities exist in access to educational res

by jocelyn / 35min 

NY State Budget Is a Mix of Victories and Setbacks

This year's budget battle in New York State produced a mix of victories and setbacks for public education advocates. The Alliance for Quality Education published a fact sheet to explain how the funding increases, pre-k expansion and charter school supports will impact the fight for high quality education in the state. The following press release was written by the Alliance for Quality

by jocelyn / 35min hide  //  save

New Jersey Organizers Demand a Voice in Education Debate

On March 27, advocates in NJ rallied to protest the market-based reform policies that are hurting their public schools and to demand a new approach to supporting and improving the state's education system. The fight over public schools is heating up in New Jersey. On March 27, advocates from across the state rallied at the NJ State House to protest the market-based reform policies tha

by jocelyn / 35min 

What Kind of Superintendent Do Boston Students Want?

Students from the Boston Student Advisory Council, Youth and Board, and Boston-area Youth Organizing Project are playing an active role in helping the city select its next superintendent. Hear what they have to say in this great new video! Boston students are playing an active role in helping the city select its new superintendent. Though not officially a part of the search committee,

by jocelyn / 35min