azdailysun.com Top Stories

azdailysun.com Top Stories:

"The private school tuition organizations take advantage of a different state tax credit than do mainstream public and charter schools. The latter allows tax credits for donations to extracurricular programs, and it has drawn criticism that it primarily benefits schools in more affluent areas where residents can afford to make donations."

Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Arlington > News

Sun Gazette Newspapers - from Archives - Arlington > News:

"“We need more parents trained to advocate for their kids, and we need volunteers,” said Dr. Talmadge Williams, a former president of the Arlington NAACP and chairman of Parent Allies for Student Success (PASS). The group on Sept. 10 held its second-annual graduation ceremony, honoring 42 parents who spent weeks learning to be a bigger part of their children’s academic lives."

Teachers say parental involvement makes a difference in how children do at school - The Morning Sun News: Serving Clare, Gratiot and Isabella counties

Teachers say parental involvement makes a difference in how children do at school - The Morning Sun News: Serving Clare, Gratiot and Isabella counties:

"And indeed, the terminology may be so new that few parents have even heard of it. How many, after all, know what the word 'regrouping' is as it relates to elementary school arithmetic?

'Regrouping is another word for old fashioned borrowing and carrying,' Philson said. '(Some of the terminology) may be new to us too. Parents need not be afraid to ask.'"

Suzanne Fields: Facts being diluted in name of diversity | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle

Suzanne Fields: Facts being diluted in name of diversity democratandchronicle.com Democrat and Chronicle:

"A new report by the American Textbook Council, an independent research organization that monitors the quality of textbooks, is a new wake-up call. In 'Textbook Troika: How publishers, activists and multiculturalists keep students in the dark about Islam,' Gilbert T. Sewall, the director of the council, documents the malign influence Muslim activists exert on social studies texts. Not only do texts distort historical fact, but 'disinterested scholarship' is in jeopardy, threatened by a gathering perfect storm of academic failure and fatuousness."

Scary California stories aren't true - The Denver Post

Scary California stories aren't true - The Denver Post:

"No self-respecting state would want that. The massive budget cuts, the IOUs, the celebrity governor autographing government-surplus sale items . . . yikes! Just the thought makes your blood curdle.

The 'change makes us California' story is intended to scare us, but like many good tales, it's blatantly untrue. Budget reforms will not transform us into the Golden State. Almost the opposite is true. In many ways, Colorado is already like California, and if we don't change, more California-type problems are likely."

Emily Young: Initiative overload ruining California » Redding Record Searchlight

Emily Young: Initiative overload ruining California » Redding Record Searchlight:

"Also contributing to our state government woes is a representative democracy that is not functioning properly. According to think tanks watching these things, California's election districts are frequently producing little two-party competition, and state legislators tend to come from the two parties' ideological poles.
Furthermore, California is the only state where passing a budget and passing a tax increase both require a two-thirds majority vote in each house. As a result, the minority party has more power than is true in other state legislatures. With one-third plus one votes, it can block programs since most legislation has budget implications. Hence, the California Legislature's lack of accomplishments and annual budget fights."

» The Political Mechanics of ACORN The Speakers Lobby « FOXNews.com

» The Political Mechanics of ACORN The Speakers Lobby « FOXNews.com:

"ACORN is the acronym for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. It’s a community organization that says its mission is to assist low and middle-income families with housing, health and voting issues. ACORN’s come under heavy fire for alleged voter fraud in the 2008 presidential election. Some of its employees are now under criminal indictment. And the heat’s intensified in recent days. Undercover videos are plastered all over the internet showing ACORN employees willing to help filmmakers James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles posing as a pimp and a prostitute as they seek aid to set up cathouses. The Census Bureau announced earlier this month it was severing its ties with ACORN. It’s believed ACORN has received $54 million dollars in federal assistance in the last 15 years."

Schools shakeup | Editorials | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California

Schools shakeup Editorials PE.com Southern California News News for Inland Southern California:

"The Legislature should start by giving local districts more power to make decisions, instead of setting policy from Sacramento. The state needs to streamline an overgrown education code that puts more emphasis on administrative paperwork than good education practices.

The state also needs to change an education financing system that dispenses money without regard to needs, costs or educational goals. And the Legislature should give districts more flexibility to use school money to meet local needs, instead of dictating spending priorities from the state Capitol."

California must lead way, education chief urges - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

California must lead way, education chief urges - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"California has an eighth of all the students in the country. You can't overstate how important California's success as a state is to our success as a country. I do absolutely think California is at a crossroads, a fundamental fork in the road. This is a time where we need real courage and real leadership. The status quo isn't going to get us where we need to go. California has to, at its heart, decide: Is the state going to continue to lead the country? Or is the state going to retreat to the sidelines or take a step backwards?"

Politics at play in county schools association formation - San Jose Mercury News

Politics at play in county schools association formation - San Jose Mercury News:

"Before that happens, however, the association will have to tackle numerous questions, including whether there should be proportional representation for districts based on size and whether charter schools will have direct membership. Some area educators also have suggested the county education board shouldn't be allowed to join.

So far, organizers have welcomed the county's participation but are dismayed by its hesitation. Organizers have further argued that, based on how the Santa Clara County School Board Association and similar organizations are designed, each school district should have only one vote."

Gerald W. Bracey: State's exit exams deserve a failing grade - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Gerald W. Bracey: State's exit exams deserve a failing grade - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"The impact was disproportionately large for minorities and for girls. This is important because while it might be thought that minorities suffered from attending lower-quality schools, girls are distributed over all schools. The researchers were also able to rule out that minorities and girls might have been counseled into less-demanding courses that didn't prepare them as well for the test."

Rick Braziel: The time to act is before the dropout gets arrested - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Rick Braziel: The time to act is before the dropout gets arrested - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"Fortunately, a lot can be done to bring dropout rates down. First, kids who start school ready to learn are much less likely to fall behind and off track. Quality preschool has been shown to boost graduation rates by as much as 44 percent and cut crime significantly. It's a place where kids learn to interact with each other, respect authority and become responsible for their actions before entering an academic school environment. For example, when a child takes a toy from a classmate and then gets reprimanded, that child learns the value of sharing."

The Conversation: Education chief wants a transformation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

The Conversation: Education chief wants a transformation - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"The bottom line for public education is that whatever difficulties swirl around a school and a community – principal turnover, changing curriculum, poverty and violence, student troubles at home – the classroom has to be a refuge of learning. And those in it have to have, as Duncan puts it, 'a fundamental, unalterable belief that every child can learn.'"

Dissident Voice : Duncan Donuts with Arne!

Dissident Voice : Duncan Donuts with Arne!:

"Well put on a sundress and sing me a show song! Newt Gingrich, his pal the Reverend Al Sharpton and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are teaming up to push for the ‘reformation American education’. The ménage de trois will saddle up and begin a whirlwind tour starting at the end of September and they will be pushing Arne’s great Race to the Top and of course charter schools, the Trojan horse for the privatizers and the liquid center of the Great Race."

A Post Remorse?

A Post Remorse?:

"Across the District, it is theorized the editorial board of The Washington Post provides cover and protection to Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee. Despite the political shenanigans of Mayor Fenty and Chancellor Rhee, along with the intellectual hypocrisy of the editorial board of The Washington Post, the DC State Board of Education is independent from Mayor Fenty, Chancellor Rhee, and DC State Superintendent of Education Kerri Briggs. Since his mayoral election, District residents are growing in their disappointment and distrust Mayor Fenty is committed to following District statutes, let alone keeping his word not to sell or to give closed DCPS school buildings to developers. It would be unfortunate if the editorial board of The Washington Post were supporting unlawful conduct and false statements by District public officials."

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs - NYTimes.com

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs - NYTimes.com:

"The initiative, the Early Learning Challenge Fund, would channel $8 billion over eight years to states with plans to improve standards, training and oversight of programs serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

The Senate is expected to pass similar legislation this fall, giving President Obama, who proposed the Challenge Fund during the presidential campaign, a bill to sign in December."

Hi-Desert Star > Editorial > Letter: Teachers pay for retirement pensions

Hi-Desert Star > Editorial > Letter: Teachers pay for retirement pensions:

"Since public pensions seem to be a “hot topic” in the media today, the members of the California Retired Teachers Association of the Morongo Basin feel the need to educate and set the record straight on a few key points.

Many people seem to think that teachers receive their pension as a free benefit when in fact they pay into their retirement account.

After teaching for 26 years, the average retired teacher receives $2,700 per month in benefits. For those 26 years, they were required to pay 8 percent of their salary into the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS), unlike corporate workers."

Study pours cold water on performance-based teacher pay | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Study pours cold water on performance-based teacher pay L.A. NOW Los Angeles Times:

"One of the most intensely debated aspects of President Obama's 'Race to the Top' fund for education, especially here in California, has been its insistence on a mechanism that would allow for teacher evaluations based on the performance of their students. It's a no-brainer as far as a lot of people are concerned, but teachers unions abhor it and California law specifically forbids linking teachers with student achievement, at least at the state level.
Now comes some interesting, and perhaps counterintuitive, news from Portugal, where the government recently began tying teacher pay to student achievement. A study released in May"

Read full report: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11569337/Individual-Teacher-Incentives-StudentAchievement-and-Grade-Inflation

Sacramento Press / Strong mayor friends, foes react to committee's report

Sacramento Press / Strong mayor friends, foes react to committee's report:

"An opponent of the strong mayor initiative, SAVE Sacramento (Support Accountability, Voice, and Ethics in Sacramento), was pleased by the initial report. 'SAVE Sacramento applauds the open, inclusive, and well-informed process of the Charter Review Commission,' said SAVE founder, Sacramento attorney Anna Molander. 'These recommendations were made through public deliberation by a diverse group of Sacramentans - not written in secret by an ultraconservative lawyer and paid for by rich, out-of-town developers.”"

Viewpoint: Make our schools a place where all students feel safe | Kalamazoo Opinion - - MLive.com

Viewpoint: Make our schools a place where all students feel safe Kalamazoo Opinion - - MLive.com:

"The National School Climate Survey released by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reports that 90 percent of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) students indicate the word 'gay' is used as a negative comment; 74 percent report hearing other homophobic remarks; 67 percent received negative remarks about gender expression; and 63 percent report that educators or school staff have made disparaging comments."

For full report click here: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11567105/2007-National-School-Climate-Survey-GLSEN-the-Gay-Lesbian-and-Straight-Education-Network