Public Schools Incorporate Art as a Teaching Tool - NYTimes.com

Public Schools Incorporate Art as a Teaching Tool - NYTimes.com:

"The Columbus school incorporates sculpture and other art into nearly every corner of its year-old building with the hope that it will inspire students in this working-class Hispanic neighborhood to learn. It is one of a growing number of newly built or renovated public schools across the country that look more like cultural centers than the austere, utilitarian houses of learning of the past, displaying museum-worthy pieces commissioned from artists alongside more traditional finger paintings and statues of school mascots."

NEA moves to help poor schools with best teachers - USATODAY.com

NEA moves to help poor schools with best teachers - USATODAY.com:

"Testifying Tuesday before the House education committee, National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel said the union, which represents about 3.2 million teachers and other workers, will ask local affiliates to draw up memoranda of understanding with local school districts that would 'waive any contract language that prohibits staffing high-needs schools with great teachers.'

Van Roekel said the move is part of the union's 'Priority Schools' campaign that will also encourage 'the most accomplished teachers-members' to start their teaching careers in high-needs schools, remain there or transfer there."

Education Week: House Panel Targets Teacher Distribution, Pay

Education Week: House Panel Targets Teacher Distribution, Pay:

"Lawmakers and teacher spokesmen had a spirited exchange here this week on the equitable distribution of effective teachers, illuminating the contours of a debate that will likely continue as Congress revisits the issue.

Differing opinions about incentive-pay programs, the role of test scores in pay and evaluation, and how prescriptive the federal government should be in seeking to boost teacher effectiveness were aired at a House hearing. It came as the upcoming renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and implementation of the economic-stimulus law are helping to spur such debate."

Teachers Who Made a Difference - NAM

Teachers Who Made a Difference - NAM:

"Editor’s note: In early September, on schoolyards and in hallways across the country, the same excited, anxious question rings out: “Who'd you get?” Students know that the heart of education beats inside the individual teacher. When NAM asked young people in our youth communications programs to write about the one teacher who’d really made a difference, they barely had to think before the keys were flying. This feature supported by funding from the California Teachers Association."

Coach K Demanded GreatnessBy Roland BallardThe teacher who made the biggest difference in my life would be my high school freshmen P.E. teacher, Keith Norman, better known as Coach K. He was my coach on the basketball team and also the first person to sit and talk to me about college. And he never let up on me. Outside of all the basketball knowledge he passed on to me, he also showed me the ways of a man. He taught me that a man makes sacrifices to be successful.

Ms. G: A Push in the Right DirectionBy Anastasia Freeman Throughout the years I have had a lot of teachers who have greatly affected me. The one who has affected me the most has to be Ms. Grinberg, my English and History teacher. She is the reason I am alive today. When I first came into her class it was because I had gotten kicked out of my old high school. I walked in with my mind made up that I wasn’t doing anything at all. I had just given birth to my daughter, who was a preemie and was still in the hospital. I was only going to school because I was on probation and I didn’t want to go back to jail. So, for two whole marking periods I just sat there and failed.

Mr. Jackson Told Me I Would Go PlacesBy Janet Lagto Michael Jackson. For many people, that name sparks memories of the dancing, performing maestro of pop. For me, however, it strikes up memories of attending high school, and sitting in Mr. Jackson’s stifling classroom that smelled heavily of mildew and glue. This tall, blonde man touched a very special place in my heart. Although I was rarely in school during most of my high school years, when I was there, my favorite place to be was in Mr. Jackson's classroom, listening to him rant and rave in an intellectual and witty way. He knew I had no interest in school. He knew I was picky about what work I would actually do. Yet he placed hope in me and told me things my other teachers never did. He told me that someone as bright as me (imagine, me, bright!) would eventually go places.

Special-ed ruling may mean teacher cutbacks - Cleveland.com

Special-ed ruling may mean teacher cutbacks - Cleveland.com:

"If the Cleveland schools are forced to hire large numbers of special-education teachers, mainstream teachers will be axed to make room on the payroll, Chief Executive Officer Eugene Sanders says.

An arbitrator has ruled that, under union contract, the district must assign both a general-education teacher and special-education teacher to every class that mixes students with disabilities and other children. That could require hiring up to six teachers per building, the union estimates.

At a school board meeting Tuesday, Sanders said the hires would come at the expense of general-education teachers."

Richard Whitmire and Andrew Rotherham explain how teachers unions have been taken to task by the New York Times, the Washington Post and even The New Yorker. - WSJ.com

Richard Whitmire and Andrew Rotherham explain how teachers unions have been taken to task by the New York Times, the Washington Post and even The New Yorker. - WSJ.com:

"Editorial pages of major papers nationwide have begun to demand accountability for schools, despite objections from vested interests. Since the Obama administration took an unexpectedly tough line on school reform, the elite media response has been overwhelmingly positive.

'All the reforms unions oppose—charter schools, testing, accountability, No Child Left Behind, performance pay—have been around for a while now and the disasters the unions predicted have not come to pass,' said Richard Colvin, who runs the Hechinger Institute on Education and the Media in New York. 'The unions are out of touch and are courting irrelevance.'"

Political odd couple fights for school reform

Political odd couple fights for school reform:

"Sharpton says, 'I was raised by a single mother from when I was 10. My father wasn't there--on welfare, the whole 9 yards. But she went to every PTA meeting. She went to every open school week. She had the teachers home numbers.'

Gingrich says, 'They are fully capable of going to the local school board and raising cain. They're 4th, capable of going to their state legislature and asking why they're betraying their children.'"

Rise & Shine: Charter school backers say growth will be costly | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: Charter school backers say growth will be costly GothamSchools:

"Some schools with interesting art and architecture use them as teaching tools. (Times)
Charter school backers say Mayor Bloomberg will have to put money where his plans are. (Daily News)
In an interview, Joel Klein proposes a song to describe his relationship with the teachers union. (Fortune)
Middle schools help students handle the high school application process. (NY1)
The Post says Bloomberg’s charter school expansion plan is “not only wise policy but wise politics.”"

Charter advocates to Bloomberg: More schools fine, but more money needed

Charter advocates to Bloomberg: More schools fine, but more money needed:

"City Controller William Thompson, Bloomberg's rival in the upcoming election, questioned whether he could add more charters if there isn't space or money available for them.
'I think we are seeing how political Mike really is,' said Thompson mayoral campaign spokesman Mike Murphy."

John de Beck: Just what is a free public education?

John de Beck: Just what is a free public education?:

"Recent complaints by parents about costs they have to pay for student materials, uniforms, and supplies and equipment is creating a review of the school district practice of charging parents for things that schools require for participation in classes, extra curricular activities and competitions by bands, drill squads, and cheerleading teams.

While I am not a lawyer, I have strong concerns about school districts (and mine in particular) requiring any purchases for participation that is not specifically ruled legal by court precidents, or by the constitution itself"

When sick, stay home, cover your cough, wash your hands and don't touch your face. Did we say stay home? - San Jose Mercury News

When sick, stay home, cover your cough, wash your hands and don't touch your face. Did we say stay home? - San Jose Mercury News:

"When the H1N1 virus invaded last spring, health officials sent home students in afflicted schools and improvised policies to combat the newcomer flu strain.

Now, in tandem with drug researchers who are rushing a swine flu vaccine to market, California education officials have scrambled to devise policies to guide schools through an anticipated outbreak.

In announcing the 43-page draft manual Thursday, officials seized on the chance to remind the public that individuals' health habits are the first line of defense."

Karen Symms Gallagher: Seniority? Test Scores? Student Outcomes? The Argument for Rethinking Teacher Compensation

Karen Symms Gallagher: Seniority? Test Scores? Student Outcomes? The Argument for Rethinking Teacher Compensation:

"The federal government often uses carrots and sticks to incentivize reluctant state and local agencies to change their policies and practices. The most current example of this is the Race to the Top legislation. To be eligible for the $4.35 billion in federal 'Race to the Top' funds, states must allow student test scores to be used in decisions about teacher effectiveness. States with laws restricting a link between student data and teacher pay, such as California and New York, are scrambling to change them in order to get a shot at these funds."

Textbooks already outdated in Lodi-area school districts

Textbooks already outdated in Lodi-area school districts:

"Students in California won't read in their U.S. history textbooks about our first black president for another seven years — or more. Science books won't mention the value of stem cell research, and global terrorism might not appear in world history texts used in the classroom.

That was part of the provision struck by the governor and the Legislature in adopting the state's budget earlier this year."

Glendale News Press > Archives > Education > Education bill up to gov.

Glendale News Press > Archives > Education > Education bill up to gov.:

"The legislation “removes any doubt that California is committed to using data to improve instruction and teacher effectiveness,” O’Connell said in a statement.

Using data to improve student achievement is one requirement for states to qualify for the Race to the Top funds, the largest sum of discretionary spending in the history of the federal Department of Education.

But using student performance to judge teacher effectiveness is deeply controversial among teachers and their unions. The state legislation would delete language from the California education code, which union officials said served as a firewall between student performance and teacher efficiency."

Sac City Schools Ramp Up H1N1 Flu Prevention | News10.net | Sacramento, California | News

Sac City Schools Ramp Up H1N1 Flu Prevention News10.net Sacramento, California News:

"SACRAMENTO, CA - Sacramento students began the school year with new classes. They're also getting lessons on H1N1 (swine) flu prevention.

A microbiologist recently visited students at Leonardo da Vinci School. She talked to them about the H1N1 virus. Fifth-grader Destiny Mathis said, 'We learned if you don't take care of it soon, you can get really sick from it and possibly die.'"

Education News & Comment

Education News & Comment:

"Please mark your calendar

First District Advisory Committee (DAC) General meeting
October 20, 2009

Special Guests to include:
Mr. Jonathan Raymond, New SCUSD Superintendent
Dr. Geni Boyer, the Director of Cambridge Academies/California Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC)"

At this meeting we have the following:

* Our new district superintendent, Mr. Jonathan Raymond will be there to greet you and introduce himself and his vision for the district.

* Guest Speaker Dr. Geni Boyer, the Director of Cambridge Academies/California Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) 2. She will be speaking about parental engagement, school policies, Section 1118, school compacts, accountability and how school site councils can lead improvement at school sites. She is dedicated to promoting, supporting and sustaining educational opportunities for disadvantaged and at-risk students. Check out PIRC 2 website for helpful information: http://www.calpirc.org/. Dr. Boyer is very knowledgeable. Ask your questions.

* An overview of School Site Council and DAC which will help you know which task are at the local site and which are at the district level.* The Consolidated Application Overview, Part I for 2010-2011 & Part II (2009-2010)

* Welcoming School Training with Jeana Preston, Director of the California Parent Center on October 21, 2009- See attachment.
Website: http://parent.sdsu.edu/

* Special Handouts folder: SES/Choice, District Parent Involvement Policy, District Administrative Regulations (Section 1118), Leadership Academy Applications, School Site Council Overview & Scope, CDE Parent Involvement flyer (also available in Spanish & Chinese), and more.

Wanda Yañez
ChairpersonDistrict Advisory Committee (DAC)
Sacramento City Unified School District
Work: (916) 654-7729

UC Davis Over-Reported Sex Assault Stats - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento

UC Davis Over-Reported Sex Assault Stats - Sacramento News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"DAVIS, Calif. -- The University of California, Davis, said it significantly over-reported the number of forcible sex offenses that were committed on and around campus in 2005, 2006 and 2007."

The findings announced Thursday are based on an internal review and an independent, outside review of the crime statistics the university reports each year to the federal government under the Clery Act, the school said in a news release.

Specifically, in last year's Clery Act statistics, UC Davis reported 48, 68 and 69 forcible sex offenses in 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively.

However, based on the two recent reviews, the university has determined that the correct statistics for each of the years are less than half of the earlier numbers: 21 reported in 2005, 23 in 2006 and 33 in 2007.

The Clery Act requires publication of an annual report that contains specified campus crime statistics for the previous three calendar years.

Education Week: Books Face Extinction as Schools Go High-Tech

Education Week: Books Face Extinction as Schools Go High-Tech:

"Hitting the books is becoming a thing of the past, as more schools across Massachusetts implement virtual classrooms and equip students with laptops.

'If you look at a textbook it's very static. It's very convoluted,' said Hopkinton High math teacher Carla Crisafulli, who will post homework assignments to moodle.org and use Jing to create lesson voice-overs. 'We're going to be able to reach out via the Internet and make geometry come alive.'

Hopkinton High is piloting a physics course that will be conducted exclusively online, said Principal Alyson Geary. For freshman geometry and junior American literature, students will carry laptops instead of textbooks."

http://www.cetpa-k12.org/pub/htdocs//affiliates.html

Teacher Magazine: EPA Warns of Cancer-Causing PCBs in Schools

Teacher Magazine: EPA Warns of Cancer-Causing PCBs in Schools:

"The danger to students is uncertain, and EPA does not know for sure how many schools could be affected. But the agency is telling schools that they should test old caulk and remove it if PCBs turn up in significant amounts.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said PCBs remain in schools and many other buildings built before the chemicals were banned in the late 1970s.

'We're concerned about the potential risks associated with exposure to these PCBs, and we're recommending practical, common sense steps to reduce this exposure as we improve our understanding of the science,' Jackson said in a news release issued Friday."

English Companion

English Companion:

"A place to ask questions and get help. A community dedicated to helping you enjoy your work. A cafe without walls or coffee: just friends."