Bridging Differences: Why 'Washington-Driven Standardization' Is NOT Best

Bridging Differences: Why 'Washington-Driven Standardization' Is NOT Best:

"I am somewhat crazed and stressed-out today because my book is due to the publisher, with no more edits allowed. So, needless to say, I am focused on meeting that deadline. But since the book deals with the same issues that we discuss every week, it is not as if I have to turn my attention to a totally different subject. Readers of this blog know that I have often tried out ideas here and benefited by hearing their reactions."

One issue that we have discussed and should discuss more is the regulations embedded in the Race to the Top fund, that sum of $4.3 billion that the U.S. Department of Education is using to stimulate innovation and reform. It may be daring to say this, but I am weary of reform. I think that our schools have been overrun by too many reforms, to the point where it becomes difficult to say what effect any of them has had. Some of our schools are like archeological sites, with layer after layer of reform, one on top of the other. A teacher once said to me that she had "reform fatigue." I wonder if any other nation so regularly reorganizes, reshapes, and reforms its schools.

Inverting Bloom's Taxonomy

Education Week: Inverting Bloom's Taxonomy

The magic of Bloom’s Taxonomy, that familiar classification system for levels of thinking (and hence learning objectives), was that teachers could close their eyes and picture it. And with a little help from entrepreneurial consultants, they didn’t need to close their eyes at all—posters of color-coded pyramids became a standard part of classroom decor. The taxonomy was lean and intuitive, but the image of the pyramid gave it staying power. “Knowledge” formed the wide and stable base. “Evaluation” was the terrain of intellectual mountaineers.

Applebatch: Luring Students Back to Learning

Applebatch: Luring Students Back to Learning:

"Should educators use money to stimulate attendance and create better grades? The New York Times reports that in July of 2009, the French Government released a list of 165 initiatives proposed to stymie high school dropout rates that have led to high youth unemployment in France. Among these initiatives is an incentive-based proposal that has fomented a debate in the teacher community in France since its more public pronunciation by the newspaper Le Parisien last Friday. By committing to an attendance and performance target, high schoolers can earn from €2,000 to €10,000 for their class fund that can then be spent on educational activities such as field trips."

Whitman Q&A Pt. 3: Living with schools cuts - Total Buzz - OCRegister.com

Whitman Q&A Pt. 3: Living with schools cuts - Total Buzz - OCRegister.com:

"In this installment, GOP gubernatorial candidate and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman talks about how we may need to live with the scaled-down education funding for now. She says K-12 needs to move more money from administration to the classroom, get more charter schools, and reward the top teachers. And she says 10 percent cuts of higher ed may actually be an asset, although further cuts are hurtful.

I asked if she thought the teachers union was part of the problem, but she wasn’t going there.

In Part 1, Whitman addresses her spotty voting records. You can also click here for today’s update on that issue.

In Part 2, she addresses the state budget, including her proposals for tax cuts and eliminating 20,000 to 30,000 state jobs."

New school assignment plan cuts parents' choice

New school assignment plan cuts parents' choice:

"For years, parents have been given wide latitude to pick and choose schools for their children in the Seattle Public Schools."

Until now.

Seattle Public Schools administrators Tuesday evening unveiled the proposed new attendance-area boundary maps (click here for high school and here for middle and elementary schools) for the 46,000 students attending 88 public schools. After numerous community meetings, including one this Saturday, the final School Board vote will take place Nov. 18.

The new student-assignment plan, approved by the Board in mid-June, uses a community-based approach towards school assignments, sending students to schools closest to home. These changes are necessary, district officials have said, because Seattle's population density and demographic makeup has shifted considerably and parents have demanded more predictability.

The cash-strapped school district could save a considerable amount of money by changing the way schools are assigned and by reducing transportation costs. (In 2007, we reported that Seattle spends an average of $560.86 per student on transportation, or about $25 million -- more than other large districts in the state).
The plan, however, would also require new capital expenditures. Five closed elementary schools would reopen under the plan.

Education Chief Duncan to Give Innovation Grants - NYTimes.com

Education Chief Duncan to Give Innovation Grants - NYTimes.com:

"The federal Department of Education sketched out a new nationwide competition on Tuesday under which some 2,700 school districts and nonprofit groups are expected to compete for pieces of a $650 million innovation fund.

The department already has the 50 states vying for chunks of a $5.4 billion education improvement fund that it calls Race to the Top; the innovation fund is a separate competition.

Federal officials said the Investing in Innovation Fund would be distributed in three categories. Small development grants of up to $5 million will support new, unproven ideas that seem worth exploring, they said. Validation grants of up to $30 million will support existing programs that have shown evidence that they can work. Scale-up grants of up to $50 million will go to programs that have developed a strong track record for improving student achievement, the officials said."

Ohio.com - Willard: Grading education isn't easy

Ohio.com - Willard: Grading education isn't easy:

"COLUMBUS: About a decade ago, this newspaper ran a series of articles about the problems facing public education. In those stories, three reporters, myself included, each spent a day following typical fourth-grade students in three different school districts.

In one classroom, the teacher asked students about a spinnaker, and a young man answered by explaining he had seen the sailing ship on a trip to Turkey. In another classroom, when a teacher asked what was the first thing they smelled when they went to the movies, the students fell silent. When the teacher exclaimed, ''popcorn,'' we learned many of the students had yet to step into a theater.

Students arrive at the doorsteps of schools each day burdened with backpacks and often varied experiences and economic backgrounds. They are at different learning levels, and for this reason, it is difficult to fairly assess just how much teaching is going on in individual classrooms and buildings and across districts."

Doyle signs bill mandating kindergarten -- chicagotribune.com

Doyle signs bill mandating kindergarten -- chicagotribune.com:

"MADISON, Wis. - Starting in 2011 children will be required to complete kindergarten before they can start first grade in Wisconsin.

Gov. Jim Doyle on Tuesday signed a bill making that change.

The bill passed the Legislature last month. Supporters say it's needed to ensure that students who enroll in kindergarten actually attend class.

Because kindergarten isn't mandatory now, students aren't bound by truancy rules.

It won't affect many children.

Each year, an average of just 117 first-graders haven't been to kindergarten. That's about one-third of 1 percent of the total number of first-graders as of last school year.

Students who are home schooled or attend charter schools can get an exemption."

Dyslexia and the reading brain

Dyslexia and the reading brain:

"All of us are born with brains that are designed to think and talk.

But no one is born with a brain that is designed to read.

For that reason, every child who learns to read is adapting older brain structures to a new purpose, and 'it's almost a miracle that so many kids are able to do that effortlessly.'

That's one of the main messages that Dr. Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, will deliver in a keynote address at a dyslexia conference here on Saturday."

Catalyst Notebook :: Pitfalls with school choice in Chicago, other districts

Catalyst Notebook :: Pitfalls with school choice in Chicago, other districts:

"A new report by The Center on Reinventing Public Education strikes an optimistic note on the emergence of “portfolio schools”—that is, charter and charter-like schools—in Chicago, New Orleans, New York and Washington DC. But the report also offers a long list of potential pitfalls—from the evaporation of philanthropic dollars to shifting political terrain—that threatens any well-oiled network of autonomous school options.

The center is a research collective at the University of Washington that generally takes a constructively critical view of school choice and district decentralization efforts. In this report, the researchers offer little in the way of evaluation of each city’s portfolio initiatives, but they do serve up a good reference tool for understanding the differences in scale and scope of major reform efforts in the country’s hotspots for urban educational change."

Head of D.C. Schools Pushes Need For Reforming Public Education | The Cornell Daily Sun

Head of D.C. Schools Pushes Need For Reforming Public Education The Cornell Daily Sun:

"Michelle Rhee ’92 has a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to improving the Washington, D.C. public schools system. As chancellor of the historically under-performing school district, she has shut down schools and fired teachers en-route to creating an environment in which all students can succeed.

Often seen as a controversial figure in public education, Rhee’s pioneering actions may someday lead to large-scale school reform. The Sun sat down with Rhee on Monday to talk about higher education’s role in innovating public schools, her portrayal in the media and her time at Cornell."

Danny Glover adds voice for school workers | Philadelphia Daily News | 10/07/2009

Danny Glover adds voice for school workers Philadelphia Daily News 10/07/2009:

"Actor Danny Glover is known for a lot of things, but being an advocate for the Philadelphia School District's lowest-paid workers may not be one of them.

'It's unconscionable,' Glover said yesterday about the meager wages of Philly schools' cafeteria workers and noontime aides.

Surrounded by a group of them at a home near Simon Gratz High, Glover appealed to the decision-makers to 'do better.'"

Legal complaint filed against school district's English Learner policies | 89.3 KPCC

Legal complaint filed against school district's English Learner policies 89.3 KPCC:

"Of the many Southland public school students who study English as a second language, most are Spanish speakers. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reports that a federal complaint filed Tuesday against an area school district sheds light on the challenges of providing adequate English learner instruction.

Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: One of every four students at Centinela Valley Union High School District east of L.A. International Airport is an English learner. That’s about the statewide average. A Bay Area legal advocacy group alleges that the district discriminated against some of those students by moving English learner services to a campus miles away."

Sophomores on the FAST track to learning at Salinas High | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian

Sophomores on the FAST track to learning at Salinas High thecalifornian.com The Salinas Californian:

"Integrating academic and career technical education.Partnerships with businesses to help with things such as student internships and job shadowing.'Academies have been carefully evaluated and shown to have positive impacts on school performance,' a California Department of Education Web site says.The academy at Salinas High operates this year on a $42,000 grant from the state matched by a similar grant from the Salinas Union High School District."

The Orion - Editorial: College newspapers face move to online-only content

The Orion - Editorial: College newspapers face move to online-only content:

"Have you heard the news about the news? It’s no secret the college newspaper industry is dying. The university systems have to decrease their spending and programs are being cut accordingly. This means any student-run newspaper dependent on its college is in serious danger of losing its funding.

The way in which people receive their information is quickly changing. No longer are we confined to the paper and ink of traditional newspapers. Instead, we utilize pixels, video clips and instant commentary. Where does this leave the future reporters and editors of tomorrow’s newspapers?"

Capitol Center To Close - Daily Nexus

Capitol Center To Close - Daily Nexus:

"In late August, the Sacramento Center received a temporary suspension of its funding and stopped accepting applications indefinitely. The Center — which provided graduate and upper-division undergraduate students with a chance to study in the politically-charged Sacramento atmosphere during the academic and summer quarters — had been operating in the state capitol for less than five years when the decision was made to postpone the program. The decision was ultimately made by acting interim UC Provost Lawrence Pitts and will take effect at the conclusion of this quarter."

Editorial: Vote yes on Measures G and H in Acalanes and Walnut Creek school districts - ContraCostaTimes.com

Editorial: Vote yes on Measures G and H in Acalanes and Walnut Creek school districts - ContraCostaTimes.com:

"Unfortunately, we don't live in such a world. School districts are partially funded by the state and then left to make up shortfalls on their own.

For that reason, we support two parcel taxes on the Nov. 3 ballot, Measure G in the Acalanes Union High School District and Measure H in the Walnut Creek School District.

The Acalanes high school district serves students who are funneled through grades K-8 in the Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette and Walnut Creek school districts.

With Measure G, Acalanes voters are being asked to continue paying an existing $189 a year parcel tax. With Measure H, voters in the Walnut Creek district are being asked to continue paying an existing $82 a year parcel tax.

While we back the measures, which require approval of two-thirds of the voters, we do so with some reservations. Voters should be aware that they are being asked to indefinitely extend existing parcel taxes. The current taxes are due to expire in 2011. Measures G and H have no sunset provisions."

Opinion: Dan Walters: Few would object if governor vetoed all bills on his desk - San Jose Mercury News

Opinion: Dan Walters: Few would object if governor vetoed all bills on his desk - San Jose Mercury News:

"That problematic nature is compounded by the fact that there's nothing of cosmic importance sitting on the governor's desk. While there are some measures of note, such as bills to expand California's commitment to solar, wind and other alternative energy forms, almost none of them need to be enacted this year. The alternative energy measures wouldn't take effect for years, for instance.

Given the ideological tilt of the Legislature, it's no surprise that most of the measures now pending are either minor in nature or are important mostly to liberal groups. And that means Republicans and business interests would not be dismayed if Schwarzenegger vetoes every one of the measures now pending, such as those expanding the services that health insurers must offer."

California's Higher Education Needs Transparency - NAM

California's Higher Education Needs Transparency - NAM:

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has until Oct. 11 to sign or veto SB 218.

This is a bill introduced by State Senator Leland Yee, D-Calif., following questions raised about the business practices of foundations on California State University campuses from Fresno to San Francisco, Sonoma to Sacramento.

“Taxpayers and students deserve to know how their public universities are run,” Yee said. He cited several cases where a lack of accountability and transparency has paved the way for abuses by public higher education foundations.

A member of a Fresno State foundation received a no-bid contract connected with building a campus entertainment venue in which he had a financial stake. An executive with the San Francisco City Community College Foundation borrowed money from it for personal consumption. A Sonoma State foundation got stuck with repaying money lent to a former board member unable to make the loan payments."

Education Matters: Obama’s Chance to Spark Real School Funding Reform - NAM

Education Matters: Obama’s Chance to Spark Real School Funding Reform - NAM:


"President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have an unprecedented opportunity to lead real school funding reform through the federal stimulus package. They can encourage states like California to fund public schools adequately and equitably. The question is, will they?

While much of the $100-plus billion in education stimulus funding is targeted to stave off teacher layoffs and keep class sizes in check, the so-called “Race to the Top” Fund stands apart. This $4.35 billion pot is the largest infusion of discretionary federal dollars ever into the public education system, bigger than the combined discretionary funds provided to all prior education secretaries over the past 29 years. States have to compete for funding, and not all will win. Money will be doled out on a selective basis to a subset of states that demonstrate their commitment to bold, systemic education reform. The idea is to reward innovation and results in public education and push states to undertake serious reform if they want to access to the pot."