An education problem looms -- latimes.com

An education problem looms -- latimes.com:

"As thousands of laid off California teachers sit out the school year, educators are worried about the long-term effect of losing so many teachers. Some instructors are considering leaving the state or even the profession, and if history is any indication, fewer young people will pursue careers in teaching.

'The pipeline issue is one of the most significant challenges that we're dealing with, with the layoff situation or the pink-slipping,' said Margaret Gaston, executive director of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning, a Santa Cruz-based nonprofit focused on strengthening California's teacher workforce."

Philanthropist Nancy Riordan dead at 67 - 10/03/09 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com

Philanthropist Nancy Riordan dead at 67 - 10/03/09 - Los Angeles-Southern California-LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports - abc7.com:

"Villaraigosa issued a statement saying, 'The city of Los Angeles has lost one of its most dedicated and passionate philanthropists. Nancy Daly spent her life advocating for children and ensuring that our future generations are not forgotten. Her commitment to children -- especially foster children -- across the country led to the establishment of countless organizations, committees and even legislation for increased funding for children's rights. Nancy was a friend and inspiration to us all. She will truly be missed.'"

Blueprint: Successful schools make it a family affair | News | OnlineAthens.com

Blueprint: Successful schools make it a family affair News OnlineAthens.com:

"In once failing Sacramento public schools, for example, teacher turnover was at an all-time high before an outside community group encouraged the teachers' union and superintendent to work together to give teachers stipends. The extra pay allowed teachers to work longer hours making weekly home visits to get to know students and their families outside school.

In roughly a year, teacher turnover dropped, and the program became so effective that the California Department of Education has considered implementing the program statewide, Henderson said.

'In some cases, there is no other way to reach out and build a relationship with some of our most fragile families,' Henderson said.
Still, schools can only do so much to help, she said."

Is Columbus Day a holiday? State workers get conflicting advice - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Is Columbus Day a holiday? State workers get conflicting advice - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"Service Employees International Union Local 1000 has told its members to stay home the second Monday of this month in keeping with the holiday provisions in its last contract and the law.

But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration says the law has changed. Now employees who want Oct. 12 off must use personal leave time or their pay will be docked and they'll be disciplined."

Will California become America's first failed state? | World news | The Observer

Will California become America's first failed state? World news The Observer:

"But the state that was once held up as the epitome of the boundless opportunities of America has collapsed. From its politics to its economy to its environment and way of life, California is like a patient on life support. At the start of summer the state government was so deeply in debt that it began to issue IOUs instead of wages. Its unemployment rate has soared to more than 12%, the highest figure in 70 years. Desperate to pay off a crippling budget deficit, California is slashing spending in education and healthcare, laying off vast numbers of workers and forcing others to take unpaid leave. In a state made up of sprawling suburbs the collapse of the housing bubble has impoverished millions and kicked tens of thousands of families out of their homes. Its political system is locked in paralysis and the two-term rule of former movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger is seen as a disaster – his approval ratings having sunk to levels that would make George W Bush blush. The crisis is so deep that Professor Kenneth Starr, who has written an acclaimed history of the state, recently declared: 'California is on the verge of becoming the first failed state in America.'"

Recruiter lawsuit may get closure

Recruiter lawsuit may get closure:

"They said the school covered up its fraudulent practices in a number of ways, including code words for the number of enrollments required to win a contest. Instead of saying 50 enrollments were needed, the lawsuit says a middle-aged manager said, 'You know how old I am.'

'There's clear evidence that they knew what they were doing was wrong and did it nonetheless, essentially trying to pull the wool over the Department of Education and by extension you and me, the taxpayers who are footing the bill for a university that has abysmally low completion rates,' said San Francisco lawyer Robert Nelson, the lead attorney for the enrollment counselors, in an interview before the settlement talks were announced.

Their attorney denied requests to interview Albertson and Hendow."

Editorial: Districts must forge new partnerships - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Districts must forge new partnerships - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"In 2002, the Legislature's updated Master Plan for Education called upon the state to take steps to bring all school districts into unified K-12 structures. The separate elementary and high school districts, it said, 'perpetuate isolated approaches to education delivery.'

A prime example is the multiple districts in Sacramento's north area. Between 1949 and 1972, unification proposals for these fragmented districts went to voters six times and were defeated � the casualty of conflict, distrust and mismanagement.

Voters in the Natomas elementary district finally became so frustrated with the Grant high school district, where they sent kids to middle and high school, that they created a breakaway K-12 district in 1991."

Limited H1N1 vaccines to start showing up this week - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Limited H1N1 vaccines to start showing up this week - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News Sacramento Bee:

"The not-so-good news? Quantities are limited and will target certain age groups.

Health officials are saying, though, just wait. The vaccines will eventually be plentiful. The federal government has ordered from five companies 250 million doses, which will arrive in weekly waves."

Bilingual programs gaining popularity in East Bay schools - Inside Bay Area

Bilingual programs gaining popularity in East Bay schools - Inside Bay Area:

"Such 'two-way language immersion' programs, in which children are instructed throughout the day in two languages, are cropping up in public and private schools throughout the state. More than 20 of the programs operate in Alameda and Contra Costa counties alone, from Foothill Elementary School in Pittsburg to Burbank Elementary School in Hayward."

Thursday night the school was featured on National Television--Telemundo--one of the largest Spanish Television station in the United States!
The interview is in Spanish.


http://msnlatino.telemundo.com/shows/Noticiero_Telemundo/video_player?uuid=e66ff530-4f10-4308-87eb-5facff906076

DAC Chair Update & News

DAC Chair Update & News:

Message from Wanda

Welcome back to the new school year. The District Advisory Committee (DAC) Board has been busy this summer planning for the school year.

DAC First Meeting: Tuesday, October 20th meeting I recommend all DAC members attend this meeting. We got a fantastic speaker. You will also receive a special packet that incorporates all the handouts with information that you'll need to learn or know. We do not have enough time during the meeting to discuss. 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."

Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned?

Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned?

Harold L. Doherty asks a really good question in his blog Facing Autism in New Brunswick. He asks: Should the autism “spectrum” concept be abandoned? and I think he makes a good argument – more eloquently than I can, but I’m going to try anyway.

The spectrum is much broader than it once was, now including Asperger’s Syndrome with what I call classic autism, as identified by Leo Kanner in 1943. Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is also included in the group called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

People with autism or autistic disorder are quite different than people with Aspergers Syndrome. The most obvious difference is that those with autistic disorder are much more like to have speech delays or never to speak at all, but there are other differences. There are also many similarities, and that is what makes the question difficult to answer.

Michael J. Sandel, Harvard Moral Philosopher, to Teach on PBS - NYTimes.com

Michael J. Sandel, Harvard Moral Philosopher, to Teach on PBS - NYTimes.com:

"Many of the 14,000 or so students who have taken Harvard’s wildly popular course “Justice” with Michael J. Sandel over the years have heard the rumor that their professor has a television avatar: Montgomery Burns, Homer Simpson’s soulless ghoul of a boss at Springfield’s nuclear power plant."

A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education

A Crazy Idea for Middle Schools - Class Struggle - Jay Mathews on Education:

"When education pundits like me talk about the American Indian Public Charter School in Oakland, Calif., the conversation is always about the middle school's leader, Ben Chavis. He is very different from us data-sifting eggheads. It is not an exaggeration to call him a wild man. He delights in upbraiding lazy students, outraging inattentive teachers and making wrong-headed visitors to the school wish they had stayed home.

He has the independent spirit of someone who had a successful career in construction, teaching and business before the then-woebegone AIPCS board asked him to rescue the school. He didn’t need the job. He did it mostly as a favor to fellow Native Americans--he was born into a Lumbee Indian family of sharecroppers in North Carolina--and as a challenge. He has many of the habits of some of the best educators I know--a wicked sense of humor, a weakness for shocking the conventionally wise and a deep love of children, particularly those who have had difficult lives."

The Answer Sheet - What's Going On In D.C.?

The Answer Sheet - What's Going On In D.C.?:

"It sounds like a great plot to a movie for kids: A security company that provides guards to public schools goes bankrupt overnight. Anxiety and confusion rule the day when kids go to school and discover that about 300 guards aren’t there. Some kids even get sent home because nobody can monitor the entrances! What fun!

But, as we know, this did just happen in Washington D.C.-- here’s the Post story. And once again we find ourselves asking: Who in the city could or should have foreseen this and why didn’t they?

This line of questioning gets tiresome."

D.C. Schools Lay Off More Than 220 Teachers, Lose 300 Guards - washingtonpost.com

D.C. Schools Lay Off More Than 220 Teachers, Lose 300 Guards - washingtonpost.com:

"In one of the most turbulent days in its recent history, the D.C. public schools system laid off more than 200 teachers Friday and coped with the abrupt loss of its 300 security guards, whose company went out of business overnight Thursday.

The combination of events, which included a skirmish between students and police at McKinley Technology High School that resulted in two arrests, highlighted the challenges faced by Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) as they struggle to reform the troubled system in lean economic times. The layoffs were the deepest cuts for the school system since 2003."

Free online books available

Free online books available:

"A story I wrote last week on a program for free online textbooks has generated a lot of interest from readers, and many have asked where they can go to see all the free books.
The web site for Orange Grove Texts Plus is now up and running and available at www.theorangegrove.org. You can browse the list of more than 120 titles and even read them online if you’d like. You don’t even have to be a student.

Among the selections are “Core Concepts of Marketing,” “Latino American Literature in the Classroom,” “Reading Music: Common Notation” and “Mathematical Tools for Physics.” There’s even one I plan to check out, “Handbook of Independent Journalism.”"

Schools revist absentee policies

Schools revist absentee policies:

"Texas Education Agency officials are encouraging school districts to establish thresholds for what absentee rate would trigger the closing of schools. Meanwhile, Central Texas districts on their own have begun assessing their absence policies, including those that might encourage students to come to school sick.

'We're working on another letter that's working its way through our approvals process this week,' agency spokeswoman Debbie Graves Ratcliffe said. State financing is based on daily student attendance, but districts may apply for waivers to allow them to shorten the number of instructional days without suffering a financial penalty.

Officials with Austin-area districts say that their attendance rates exceed 90 percent in most cases. Ratcliffe said the school districts that have closed have tended to have attendance rates of less than 80 percent."

Solving the teacher pay issue could help students | Kalamazoo News - - MLive.com

Solving the teacher pay issue could help students Kalamazoo News - - MLive.com:

"Consider, for instance, that teacher pay now is typically based on seniority and whether the teacher has a master’s degree. Yet a teacher with five years of experience and a bachelor’s degree may well be superior to the 20-year veteran with a master’s.

Likewise, teacher contracts tend to treat employees the same regardless of what they teach or how they teach. That makes it hard to recruit teachers in math and science — fields with many other, more lucrative career options. It also is arguably unfair to English teachers who have a tremendous homework load if they are serious about writing instruction — you try grading 120 research papers. And what’s the incentive to assign those papers if the English teacher next door is showing movies — and making the same salary as his hard-working colleague?"

College degree no longer spells immunity from unemployment - BostonHerald.com

College degree no longer spells immunity from unemployment - BostonHerald.com:

"'Recessions are becoming a bit more egalitarian,' Adams said. 'It certainly has been hitting people of all education levels. And no longer is it the case that just having a bachelor’s degree shields you from economic downturns.'

After four months of reports in which analysts cited an easing up of recession, the release Friday signaled a setback.

U.S. employers cut another 263,000 jobs last month, up more than 40 percent from what analysts had forecast and another reminder that, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has suggested, the recession might be over technically but its fallout will linger."

Most of Oregon's 2,400 new teachers unable to find jobs this fall | Oregon Education - OregonLive.com

Most of Oregon's 2,400 new teachers unable to find jobs this fall Oregon Education - OregonLive.com:

"Most of the estimated 2,400 newly minted teachers who graduated from Oregon colleges of education this year were unable to get hired anywhere in Oregon, proving that a job often billed as recession-proof is not.

Education deans and others who monitor the job market say this was the state's worst hiring season for new teachers in at least a generation.

With schools offering jobs to only about one-third as many teachers as normal, there was fierce competition for nearly every opening, and brand-new teachers brimming with idealism but lacking professional experience often got shut out."