voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Charters: Seceding from the System

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Charters: Seceding from the System:

"Frustration with the teacher placement system has fed the stunning growth of charter schools, which tout their hiring freedom as an asset. Local charter leaders say it is one of the biggest factors that push charters to split away from San Diego Unified. It now has the seventh highest share of charter students statewide.

Getting to choose its own teachers was one major reason Gompers Preparatory Academy seceded from the school district four years ago. One of the teachers it picked is Najib Mesdaq, a soothing man who surrounds his classroom with burbling fountains and readily gives preteens a high five and a grin.

He was already working at Gompers, a struggling school in Chollas View, but when it went charter, Mesdaq had to pen an essay and win over a panel of professors and parents. He never actually applied for his original job before Gompers went charter -- the district just sent him.

'It was like night and day,' Mesdaq said. 'I had to really think about, 'Why did I want to be here?''"

Teaching Open Source

Teaching Open Source:

"Open Source is becoming a dominant development model in the software industry. The next generation of software developers, computer scientists, system administrators, analysts, and build engineers need to understand Open Source and must be able to work efficiently within Open Source communities.
This is a neutral collaboration point for professors, institutions, communities, and companies to come together and make the teaching of Open Source a global success.
As a collaboration point, this initiative depends on your participation."

Get Involved

• Join and use this wiki
• Add yourself to the roll call or the FOSS mentor projects list
• Join the mailing list
• Join the planet
• Use the #teachingopensource channel on IRC
• Participate in the monthly conference call
• Contribute to one of the projects underway -- or start one!

Create and edit pages, debate new educational approaches, collaborate on teaching materials, form alliances and partnerships, develop new funding models, and teach the world how to do Open Source.

Learn more about TeachingOpenSource.org

California's neediest high school students have the least prepared teachers, study says -- latimes.com

California's neediest high school students have the least prepared teachers, study says -- latimes.com:

"The neediest students in California high schools are being taught by the least prepared teachers, a new study shows.

Fewer than half the principals in high-poverty schools said their teachers had the skills to encourage critical thinking and problem-solving among their students, while more than two-thirds of their counterparts in wealthier communities said their teachers possessed those abilities, the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning said in a study being released today.

The nonprofit center also found that teachers in the lowest-performing schools are more than twice as likely as those in the highest-achieving schools to be working without at least a preliminary credential.

The center's study, 'The Status of the Teaching Profession 2009,' is the latest to show that the most disadvantaged students don't have access to the same quality of teaching as those in more affluent, high-achieving schools."

Emotional day as UC-Berkeley awards honorary degrees to former internees - San Jose Mercury News

Emotional day as UC-Berkeley awards honorary degrees to former internees - San Jose Mercury News:

"There was no giddy 'wave'' in the stands, no exuberant hat-throwing or silly beachball-tossing.

Laced in leis of blue-and-gold origami cranes, 42 former University of California-Berkeley students whose education was disrupted by World War II internment were awarded honorary degrees on Sunday. Relatives represented 78 more students who had died or were too infirm to attend.

If my father were alive, he, too, would have sat onstage at Haas Pavilion in cap and gown, shaken the hand of Chancellor Robert Birgeneau and heard Norman Mineta, former congressman and U.S. transportation secretary, speak. But Dad died in 1986 at age 63."

The Fight is on for Federal Education Money | California Progress Report

The Fight is on for Federal Education Money | California Progress Report:

"California is trying to pass legislation that will clear the way for California to compete in the Race to the Top program which would make the state eligible for up to 700 million. The money would go to reform the nation's worst-performing schools. However, a fight has emerged on what role Charter Schools should play in this effort.

Earlier this week, the Assembly approved legislation by Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica). This legislation would lift the cap on the number of charter schools in California, at the same time revamping the state's academic standards and target federal funding to those schools most in trouble."

However, education reformers have called Assemblymember Brownley's legislation a weak effort that would fail to protect the worst failing schools. Instead, they along with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has vowed to veto the legislation if it hits his desk, favor a bill that was sponsored by Senator Gloria Romero, also a Democrat (los Angeles), that would provide parents far more authority in the ability to intervene in failing schools or to move their kids to Charter Schools.

The Senate narrowly passed that legislation last month despite strong opposition from the California Teachers Association.

The Assembly however voted that legislation down and instead voted by a healthy margin to support Assemblymember Brownley's legislation.

New school board standards stress strategic thinking

New school board standards stress strategic thinking:

"New standards for subject matter as varied as reading and theater were unanimously adopted by the state school board Thursday.

The revisions of Colorado's 14 educational standards were designed to require students to dig deeper and think more strategically. They also will require a new test to measure how well students are learning.

'As of today, we have the most modern and up-to-date standards in the country,' said Bob Schaffer, chairman of the State Board of Education."

Heads reject plan to report bullies | Education | guardian.co.uk

Heads reject plan to report bullies |Education |guardian.co.uk:

"Headteachers would be allowed to force their naughtiest pupils off their premises for anger management classes under proposals announced by government yesterday.

The consultation document, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, states that from next year, schools could require pupils to be sent off site to improve their behaviour and that this could include courses in anger management.

The courses are likely to take place in pupil referral units – or 'sin bins' – which take pupils who have been excluded.

There would be a limit on the number of days a pupil could be required to attend anger management courses, the document states"

College admission rates for women spur civil rights probe - washingtonpost.com

College admission rates for women spur civil rights probe - washingtonpost.com:

"Civil rights investigators will soon begin reviewing admissions data from a sampling of colleges in the Washington region to determine whether, after decades of progress toward sexual equity, female students have become so plentiful in higher education that institutions have entered a new era of discrimination against them."



Women apply in greater numbers than men to most colleges in the D.C. area. They make up at least three-fifths of the applicant pool at a number of schools, including the College of William and Mary in Virginia,Goucher and St. Mary's colleges in Maryland andAmerican University in the District.


Anecdotal evidence suggests that some schools are favoring men by admitting them at higher rates than women to try to preserve a male-female balance on campus. Conventional admissions-office wisdom dictates that colleges dominated by either sex are less appealing to applicants in general.

Bonuses for Hub teachers ruled out - The Boston Globe

Bonuses for Hub teachers ruled out - The Boston Globe:

"An attempt by Boston school officials to pay teachers bonuses for students who do well in college-level courses - a highly contentious move opposed by many teachers - violates the city’s teacher union contract, according to an arbitrator’s ruling that was obtained yesterday by the Globe."

Boston public schools had wanted to give math teachers at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science in Roxbury $100 for each of their students with a high score on the Advanced Placement college exam, as part of a grant program funded primarily by Exxon Mobile Corp.

The hope was that the money would encourage more teachers to take on Advanced Placement courses, which make students eligible for college credit if they score well on the year-end exam, potentially saving them thousands of dollars in tuition. The number of AP courses a school offers is considered a barometer of academic rigor.

Chicago Public Schools may shake up magnet schools with new policy -- chicagotribune.com

Chicago Public Schools may shake up magnet schools with new policy -- chicagotribune.com:

"The number of outside applicants being offered a seat would drop at nearly every Chicago magnet school next year under new admissions criteria to be voted on Wednesday, according to a Tribune analysis.

By giving greater priority to siblings of current students and applicants who live within 1 1/2 miles of each magnet school, the policy could reduce the offers extended to other applicants by about 14 percent overall.

In some schools, the reduction is far greater. At Drummond Elementary, where the acceptance rate hovers around 3 percent, offers to students outside the neighborhood would drop almost 55 percent. At Black Magnet on the South Side, where just 1 in 10 students is accepted, 32 percent of the offers would dry up.

Some observers say the policy will undermine the essence of magnets, which were created nearly 30 years ago to integrate schools in the nation's most segregated large city. By raising the number of students from the neighborhood who can attend, magnets once meant for all public school kids would increasingly become de facto neighborhood schools."

Class Struggle - Should they close this bad charter school?

Class Struggle- Should they close this bad charter school?:

"President Obama wants more good independent public charter schools. He also wants states and cities to close bad charter schools. Which charters in the District could we do without? Let's look at one, the Ideal Academy Public Charter School at 100 Peabody St. NW. It has been open for four years, long enough to show what it can do.

It is a high school with 96 students, according to Ideal instructional coordinator Pearline Humbles. It has small class sizes, no more than 18 students per teacher. I saw one math class with just five kids. It graduated its first senior class last spring.

Based on achievement tests, Ideal is one of the worst schools in the city.

Of the 31 sophomores who took the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System test in math last spring, only 25.8 percent scored at the proficient level or above. Only 38.7 percent reached that level in reading. Among secondary schools, only six regular schools and two charter schools had lower math proficiency rates. Only 11 regular schools and three charters were worse in reading proficiency.

So why hasn't this school been closed, as the president suggested?"

Detroit schools seek volunteers to teach reading -- chicagotribune.com

Detroit schools seek volunteers to teach reading -- chicagotribune.com:

"DETROIT - The Detroit Public Schools district says it's is seeking volunteers to spend 100,000 hours teaching students to read as parents express anger over low test scores.

Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb told the Detroit Parent Network on Saturday that he'll announce the new initiative in response to test scores that recently were released.

Bobb says educators want to 'create a reading revolution' in Detroit. The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News report Bobb made the comments to the Detroit Parent Network's annual breakfast at the Westin Book Cadillac hotel.

The network's leader Sharlonda Buckman called for jailing and civil lawsuits against anyone in the city's educational system that is not doing his or her share to help properly educate children."

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee Is Getting Results - WSJ.com

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee Is Getting Results - WSJ.com:

Who's Got Michelle Rhee's Back?

The D.C. schools chancellor is getting results, but not much support from the Obama Administration.

"The Washington, D.C., public school system, with its high dropout rates and low test scores, has long been a national embarrassment. But things seem to be improving under maverick Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. So it's curious that the White House hasn't done more to support her reform efforts, especially since they track so closely with the Obama Administration's own stated education goals.

New student test scores released by the U.S. Department of Education last week showed that Washington's fourth-graders made the largest gains in math among big city school systems in the past two years. D.C.'s eighth-graders increased their math proficiency at a faster rate than all other big cities save San Diego. Washington still has a long way to go, but it's no longer the city with the lowest marks, a distinction that now belongs to Detroit."

Paterson to Withhold Aid to Schools and Local Governments - NYTimes.com

Paterson to Withhold Aid to Schools and Local Governments - NYTimes.com:

"Gov. David A. Paterson announced on Sunday that he would unilaterally withhold $750 million in scheduled payments to schools and local governments, saying that strong action was necessary to protect New York State from insolvency.

The reductions of 10 to 19 percent in aid will affect schools and social service providers, health insurance payments, cities and counties. Mr. Paterson said the withheld funds were not “a cut” or an “impoundment” — perhaps drawing a legal distinction because only the Legislature is empowered to make permanent budget cuts.

Some lawmakers called the move illegal, but the governor said “we are well within the bounds of legal authority.”"

MTA bigwigs may cut free passes for students to ride subway and busses

MTA bigwigs may cut free passes for students to ride subway and busses:

"The free ride may be over for New York schoolkids.

The cash-squeezed MTA is considering eliminating free MetroCards for the hundreds of thousands of students who use the passes to get to school, the Daily News has learned.

Under a possible budget-saving measure, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority would charge students half-price fares next year - and full fares starting in 2011, sources told The News.

About 550,000 schoolkids get free or discounted bus and subway passes under a program the state and city once fully funded."

The Associated Press: Politics dominate Calif education reform effort

The Associated Press: Politics dominate Calif education reform effort:

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. — To education reformers, a $4.3 billion school funding competition from the Obama administration seemed like just the push California needed to start making long overdue changes to restore academic luster to the state's public schools.

But the drive to dramatically turn around a faltering system that serves more than 6 million children has run into political reality in a Legislature dominated by special interests. The result could leave the state with the nation's largest public school system ill-positioned to compete for the so-called Race to the Top funds.
Officials estimate California stands to gain up to $700 million"

Schools race to -- where, exactly? -- latimes.com

Schools race to -- where, exactly? -- latimes.com:

"What wouldn't California do for $700 million right now? That's not a rhetorical question. With U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan parceling out more than $4 billion to states that conform to his vision of school reform, California's Legislature is just one of dozens that are frantically revamping their states' education systems for some of that cash. Should California succeed, its share would be somewhere between $350 million and $700 million.

To obtain the money, Sacramento must pass legislation that would serve as the basis for an application. This has given Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger a perfect opportunity to push for more parent choice and fewer restrictions on charter schools, while the teachers unions have pushed an agenda that would handcuff the charter movement. There is some merit to both sides' proposals -- charter schools should be more accountable, and parents should have more say in the education process -- but they have been poorly executed in ways that could have negative repercussions. Applications for Duncan's 'Race to the Top' grants are due in January, so who has time for a thoughtful debate?"

Regents join charter boost - NYPOST.com

Regents join charter boost - NYPOST.com:

"After months of sitting on the sidelines, the state Board of Regents is expected to vote Monday on a measure that urges lawmakers to lift the charter-school cap.

If approved, it would mark the first formal advocacy from the education-policy board for a legislative change to allow for more charter schools beyond the current limit of 200.

The move comes a month shy of a mid-January deadline for the state to submit an application for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid.

Among the vital criteria for earning a share of the $4.35 billion 'Race to the Top' funds is having an environment that doesn't impede on charter-school growth."

Your Editorial: Prisoners need education, too | visaliatimesdelta.com | Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register

Your Editorial: Prisoners need education, too | visaliatimesdelta.com | Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register:

"Inmate S. stood outside my classroom scowling. In fact, he refused to come through the door. This is the first response of many incarcerated individuals when they find they are assigned to education. School is the last place on earth they want to be since most of them failed at it so miserably before."

Four years ago, education became a priority in California's prison system when Arnold Schwarzenegger changed the California Department of Corrections to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The focus then was on how to reduce recidivism. Research shows that inmates who are released from prison with skills to succeed in society are less likely to return. Now, however, a budget crisis makes cuts necessary. Understandable.

However, with CDCR's budget of $10 billion, and 10 percent needing to be cut, why have 30 percent of personnel cuts fallen on academic and vocational instructors, when their programs represent 2 percent of this budget?

At the end of January, 642 of California's correctional educators are scheduled to be laid off. This will be a huge blow to California's already teetering economy. It should also raise the alarm in our neighborhoods. This decision was made alongside the ongoing dilemma of how to reduce the overcrowded prison population by 40,000. Some of this number will undoubtedly be added to the 18,000 prisoners estimated to be released this year in the Central Valley.

Governor s ties to charter schools driving Race to Top goals? - San Jose Mercury News

Governor s ties to charter schools driving Race to Top goals? - San Jose Mercury News:

"SACRAMENTO — Charter school advocates were livid. The Assembly's 'Race to the Top' legislation was trying to 'change the DNA of charters,' as one charter school leader put it, by clamping down with 'stifling' oversight provisions.

They had little doubt, however, that they'd have a potent weapon to beat back the proposed changes: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger's deep ties to the charter school movement haven't been a secret. He has taken at least $1 million in contributions from charter school advocates, stacked the State Board of Education with charter school educators, overseen since taking office in 2003 more than a doubling in the number of charter schools and steered hundreds of millions of construction bond money to charter schools."