Tuesday, January 5, 2010

WJUSD trustees await govs address - Daily Democrat Online

WJUSD trustees await govs address - Daily Democrat Online:

"Prior to the governor's State of the State address, California School Boards Association President Frank Pugh, will deliver more than 500 letters to the governor's office on Wednesday, describing the current state of California's schools.

Woodland Joint Unified School District Trustee Rosario Ruiz-Dark said the board didn't have an opportunity to meet and draft a letter for submission, but will most certainly be discussing the outcome of Gov. Arnold Schwarzennegger's address during the next board meeting.

Board members, superintendents and educators from throughout the state have written letters asking lawmakers to refrain from cutting from education to balance the 2010-11 budget, after the cuts schools endured from the 2009-10 budget.

Each letter outlines the severe cuts local schools have been forced to endure and asks the governor to make California's more than 6 million students a priority. The WJUSD board of trustees has already been handed the task of making nearly $10 million in cuts since the 2008-09 school year."

City Brights: Delaine Eastin : Class size reduction: California drops the ball

Class size reduction: California drops the ball

Delaine Eastin

Former Cal State Superintendent of Public Instruction

I am heartsick that some California school districts are backing away from class size reduction, a reform that is being whittled away in this terrible budget climate. I believe today as I did when I was elected in 1994, that the budget of a state is like the budget of a family: it is a statement of values. I believe that class size reduction is even more important today than it was in the mid-1990's when we implemented it. The decision to undermine class size reduction, to lower the number of days in the school year, to lay off teachers, counselors, nurses, crossing guards, to close schools, to reduce preschool, to reduce honors classes and even to raise fees at our colleges and universities is a shame and a disgrace. It is being done in a state that was suckered into recklessly passing a high-speed rail so the rich could ride in style while our poor children are being starved educationally. I will come back to this, but first let me say a few words about how we got here.
The state of California is like the comic who says, "I cannot be out of money, I still have checks in my checkbook." Our state leadership keeps putting general obligation bonds on the ballot to do interesting things, like high speed rail and a new water system, but it fails to tell the public that by doing this with general obligation bonds instead of revenue bonds, where the users bear the cost, it will result in huge costs to K-12 and to higher education. Half of the cost of the high-speed rail, an initiative that passed the day before the governor who supported it declared a fiscal emergency, comes out of education.
Class size reduction is being dismantled because the cuts to education stem from this lunacy of spending money we donâ€™t have. Mind you, the governor does not ask if you want prisons, he shoves those down our throats without putting them on the ballot, apparently because he values them over roads and water and certainly schools. But even the roads and water should be "pay-as-you-go" and not funded from a pie that already shamefully shortchanges children.
I do not really blame those districts that are raising class size. I know they are faced with a Hobson's choice, but I do fault a state leadership that keeps larding up California with more and more unfunded, costly, thoughtless expenditures. For example, the governor and the legislature will ask you to vote on a water bond that is a general obligation (G.O.) bond.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/deastin/detail?entry_id=53515#ixzz0bk4hPESq

Thousands mourn slain teacher - CNN.com

Thousands mourn slain teacher - CNN.com:

"El Monte, California (CNN) -- Thousands stuffed the bleachers on both sides of a California high school football field Monday night to remember a beloved teacher who was slain in Mexico a few days ago.

Grieving family members, friends and residents of El Monte, California, waved glowsticks in the air and listened to heartfelt stories about how Augustin Roberto 'Bobby' Salcedo was a devoted family man and an inspirational educator. They heard, too, that he was a practical jokester who made people laugh.

Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin' ' blared on loudspeakers. And there was a quieter anthem: Salcedo's family sang 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' to honor the die-hard Dodgers fan."

Community college students present ‘demands’ to Schwarzenegger

Community college students present ‘demands’ to Schwarzenegger:

"Community college students gathered in and outside the governor’s San Diego office to voice their concerns with the higher education budget cuts."

San Diego City College students protested at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s San Diego office Monday - demanding changes to the state’s budget to offset the cuts made to higher education.

The students, who are also members of City College organization Bringing Education and Activism Together or BEAT, say they are faced with fewer classes for their buck and a longer road to graduation because of the millions cut to the California Community College system.

About 30 students gathered outside of the state office Monday evening seizing signs that read statements such as, “Don’t ruin our future” and “Return California’s education system.” The rally was a conclusion to a day-long dissent of the Governor after nine students occupied Schwarzenegger’s lobby in the morning hours. The nine students, who say they felt “placated” by the Governor’s representatives, had three students speak via telephone with Schwarzenegger’s Director of External Affairs Bismarck Obando. Schwarzenegger, however, was not available to speak.

“They just want to make their presence and concerns known,” said BEAT faculty advisor and political science professor Larissa Dorman. “The cuts are happening because of the two-thirds majority vote required in the Legislature and the fact that a third of the lawmakers are neo-liberals, pure capitalists, who believe education should just be thrown away.”

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-01-04/politics-city-county-government/community-college-students-present-%E2%80%98demands%E2%80%99-to-schwarzenegger#ixzz0bk3Z6MTX

Calif. Assembly delays vote on education reform - San Jose Mercury News

Calif. Assembly delays vote on education reform - San Jose Mercury News:

"SACRAMENTO, Calif.—California lawmakers started 2010 the way they closed business last year—finding compromise on education reform elusive.

On Monday, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, gaveled in the session by announcing that lawmakers would vote for the reforms California needs so it can compete for federal Race to the Top money.

In the evening, after no committee hearings or debate on the matter, the vote was rescheduled for Tuesday.

Shannon Murphy, a spokeswoman for Bass, said lawmakers in the Assembly and Senate agree on the outlines of reform but need to work on the details.

'Both houses are in agreement,' Murphy said. 'We're just incorporating clarifying language to make us compliant with federal regulations and look forward to having a full vote tomorrow.'

Lawmakers are trying to meet a Jan. 19 deadline to apply for the money. California could see as much as $700 million if it's selected."

California set to pass education overhaul plan

California set to pass education overhaul plan:

"The California Legislature is poised to pass an education plan today that makes far-reaching changes to how public schools are governed, giving parents the power to transfer their kids out of failing schools and to force districts to overhaul bad schools."

The dramatic changes to California's education policies have been debated for months. They are intended to make the state competitive for up to $700 million in federal dollars under President Obama's $4.3 billion Race to the Top program, which promises funding to states that embrace education policies outlined by the president by a Jan. 19 application deadline. Millions more dollars may also be at stake for the financially struggling state, as the Obama administration is expected to tie future education funding to some of his Race to the Top provisions.
The most controversial elements of the plan being voted on today by both houses of the Legislature include the so-called open enrollment and parent trigger provisions, which were championed by a number of parents groups and charter school advocates but opposed by many in the education establishment, including the state's powerful teachers' union.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2010/01/05/MNCB1BDGC3.DTL#ixzz0bk1swdSv

Monday, January 4, 2010

Glendale News Press > Archives > Politics > Cities to lose legislative voice

Glendale News Press > Archives > Politics > Cities to lose legislative voice:

"Krekorian’s seat will be vacated for minimum of 4 months, leaving Liu on her own.
By Zain Shauk"

As California lawmakers begin forming a plan to address an estimated $21-billion budget shortfall by mid-2011, city and school officials in Glendale and Burbank will have less of a voice.

The cities, which lie largely within the 43rd Assembly District, will be without Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles), who is set to step down from his post and take his oath of office at the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday. That will leave the district’s Assembly seat vacant for at least four months, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must declare a special election within 14 days of Krekorian vacating his seat. The election could be called as early as April, but may also be proclaimed June 8, to coincide with a statewide election.

Four months without a representative will leave city and school district officials with one voice in the Legislature — Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge).

“It’s certainly a difficult time when we’re in such a period of transition,” Mary Boger, president of the Glendale Unified School District Board of Education, said of the challenge of being without an Assembly representative as discussions about the expected budget shortfall unfold.

Assembly members can directly voice their perspectives on specific budget cuts or spending proposals and have a say in drafting or amending plans to address the shortfall.

Krekorian proved to be a key player in similar discussions in 2009, when he helped lead opposition to a proposal to take $1 billion in Highway User Tax Account revenues from cities and local governments.

Officials in Burbank and Glendale had lobbied heavily against the proposal, which had come out of budget negotiations between Schwarzenegger, and Democratic and Republican Legislative leaders.

Glendale City Manager Jim Starbird was especially pleased with representatives like Krekorian, whom he credited with heeding a call

Gary Yee and Christopher Dobbins to lead Oakland Board Of Education

Gary Yee and Christopher Dobbins
to lead
Oakland Board Of Education

Former Vice-President moves to Board’s top spot; Dobbins named Vice-President

Oakland – Jan. 04, 2010 – Gary Yee, formerly Vice-President of the Oakland Board of Education, was elected President at the Board’s annual meeting on January 4, 2010. At the same meeting, Yee’s colleague Christopher Dobbins was elected Vice-President. Yee succeeds Noel Gallo, who while stepping down as President, remains on the Board. Both Yee and Dobbins were elected unanimously and the two men will lead the governing board of Oakland Public Schools for the next 12 months.

“I am honored that my peers saw fit to elect me as Board President during this critical period for public education,” Yee said. “As Oakland Unified and school districts throughout the country strive to boost student performance in the midst of dramatic funding cuts, sound leadership and robust community engagement are essential. As a Board, our top priorities for the coming year are to accelerate the growth in student achievement that has made OUSD California’s most-improved urban school district over the past five years, to reduce expenditures while increasing revenue and to bring collective bargaining with our labor unions to a successful conclusion. These are challenging but important goals and we look forward to working with the residents of Oakland to fashion creative solutions for the city’s public schools.”

Troy Flint

Spokesperson

Oakland Unified School District

1025 Second Avenue

Oakland, CA 94606-2212

BornLearning.org - Home

BornLearning.org Web Site -

Danny Weil: Race to the Slop

Minnesota, Home of the Charter School Bailed Out by Taxpayers

Race to the Slop

By DANIEL WEIL

The charter school saga gets more sordid and pernicious from city to city, day by day. The new fiasco involving taxpayer bailouts to Wall Street and the role of junk bonds in financing charter school ‘start-ups’ came to light in Minnesota in November of this year; Minnesota, ironically being the home of the first charter school law in the US in 1991.

Originally, charter school funding in Minnesota offered no extra money for start-up facilities to charter schools, just general aid payments per student. Former state Senator Ember Reichgott Junge, who wrote the 1991 law, said the intent was to keep charter schools focused on education and out of the real estate business. Of course many advocates of public schools in opposition to the new law had put a jaundiced eye on the whole mess from the beginning, arguing it was the first step towards the privatization of education. Never mind, for business and charter support for a ‘lease aid program’ for charter school start-ups crystallized in 1998, after lawmakers discovered many new charter schools were operating in cheap retail storefronts that lawmakers said were unfit for young children (See “State charter schools program is 'out of control',” Tony Kennedy, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 29, 2009. In their largesse, they would now begin a formal private sector partnership that would prove to be devastating for Minnesota schools and their citizens.

Charter Schools, owning property and the Minnesota Law
Minnesota state law prohibits charter schools from owning property. Seedy politicians and Wall Street firms and their consultants and lawyers, found a legal loophole in the law allowing charter proponents to use millions of dollars in public money to build these schools even though the properties would remain in the hands of private non-profit corporations. Yet another brilliant scam in the ongoing yarn of the American charter school and neo-liberal capitalism.

Here is how it worked. The state has a lease aid program, which it created 11 years ago that it said would help stimulate ‘competition’ in public education by offering rental assistance to charter groups promoting alternatives to district schools. The charter proponents argued the schools needed money for new facilities due to the fact that at their inception many charters sprang up in malls or strip malls, as they were not conversion charter schools. How would they finance the construction of these new start-up charter schools? By turning to Wall Street and the money-changers, of course. According to the Star Tribune:

In the past decade, 18 charter schools have been built with $178 million in junk bonds, with financing costs on some projects chewing up nearly a quarter of the funds raised. Twelve more charter schools have taken steps to buy or build facilities, and the state projects annual spending on lease aid to reach $54 million in 2013, up from just $1.1 million in 1998 (State charter schools program is 'out of control'. Tony Kennedy, Star Tribune Last update: November 29, 2009.

In order to lure the investors they needed for new charter start-up buildings, the administration abandoned the small campus idea which stimulated the movement close to 20 years ago in favor of building large factory style schools that delight in mirroring the more conventional institutions that the families were fleeing from in the first place. Again, never mind, for that is where construction money is to be made, in large concrete buildings, whether they house kids or stock goods. With education reduced to simply a ‘commodity vehicle’ for junk bond lenders and developers the interests of students and families become secondary interests while the huge construction financing costs became paramount.

Start-up financing
It all began in the year 2000 when American Express purchased $8.3 million dollars in bonds from the state. They said the bonds would be used to convert an old Science Museum in Minnesota into a charter school. It would be called, ironically, the Minnesota Business Academy and what

voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence. - Bright and Early

I just got back from vacation and I'm raring to start reporting! Send me your tips and burning questions at emily.alpert@voiceofsandiego.org to help me get the party started again. But first, your morning newsblitz:

The Union-Tribune reports that a Superior Court judge dismissed a lawsuit against a labor pact on the $2.1 billion school construction bond for San Diego Unified schools, but opponents of the pact, who claim it unfairly discriminates against non-union apprenticeship programs, are appealing the ruling.
Also in the UT: Tardiness and attendance at one local high school seemed to be linked to parents' inability to pay for public transit, so one principal is seeking donations to help cover bus passes.
KPBS sums up the budget cut challenges for San Diego Unified nicely in a year-end piece.
Fallbrook high schools are settling a lawsuit over free speech in a school newspaper, which was barred from printing a news article and an editorial about sex education, with a $20,000 payment to the American Civil Liberties Union and $7,500 for the faculty advisor to the school newspaper, the North County Times reports. The two blocked pieces were printed in April.
SDNN looks at how adult education programs are faring at universities despite budget cuts.
Up in Los Angeles, teachers are vying to take control of the schools they work in, the Times reports. It's one twist in the controversial new plan to allow groups, such as charter

Education Week: 'Race to Top' Viewed as Template for a New ESEA

'Race to Top' Viewed as Template for a New ESEA

Design Principles for State Competition Signal Administration's Priorities

By Alyson Klein

Educators hoping for a glimpse at the next rendition of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act may want to take a close look at the rules for the Race to the Top program, which pushes states to adopt education redesign principles that federal officials say are likely to be the cornerstone of the Obama administration’s plans for a new ESEA.

The $4 billion Race to the Top competition, created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, aims to reward states for making progress on a series of redesign “assurances,” including turning around low-performing schools, improving teacher quality and distribution, bolstering state data systems, and improving the use of data and assessments.

Those themes are likely to inform the U.S. Department of Education’s plans for reauthorization of the ESEA, of which the 8-year-old No Child Left Behind Act is the most recent iteration, said Carmel Martin, the department’s assistant secretary for planning, evaluation, and policy development, in an interview with Education Week reporters late last year.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on ESEA from Education Week on Vimeo.

Safety of Beef Processing Method Is Questioned - NYTimes.com

Officials at the United States Department of Agricultureendorsed the company’s ammonia treatment, and have said it destroys E. coli “to an undetectable level.” They decided it was so effective that in 2007, when the department began routine testing of meat used in hamburger sold to the general public, they exempted Beef Products.

With the U.S.D.A.’s stamp of approval, the company’s processed beef has become a mainstay in America’s hamburgers. McDonald’s, Burger King and other fast-food giants use it as a component in ground beef, as do grocery chains. The federal school lunch program used an estimated 5.5 million pounds of the processed beef last year alone.

But government and industry records obtained by The New York Times show that in testing for the school lunch program, E. coli and salmonella pathogens have been found dozens of times in Beef Products meat, challenging claims by the company and the U.S.D.A. about the effectiveness of the treatment. Since 2005, E. coli has been found 3 times and salmonella 48 times, including back-to-back incidents in August in which two 27,000-pound batches were found to be contaminated. The meat was caught before reaching lunch-rooms trays.

In July, school lunch officials temporarily banned their hamburger makers from using meat from a Beef Products facility in Kansas because of salmonella — the third suspension in three years, records show. Yet the facility remained approved by the U.S.D.A. for other customers.

Presented by The Times with the school lunch test results, top department officials said they were not aware of what their colleagues in the lunch program had been finding for years.

Reading machines for students with LD - Assistive technology | GreatSchools

Reading machines for students with LD

How can reading machines help kids with learning disabilities? An expert on assistive technology looks at peer-reviewed research for answers.

What's new in the world of research related to children with learning and attention difficulties? In this summary of current peer-reviewed research, Marshall Raskind, Ph.D., shares his expert perspective in practical terms for parents like you.

The use of optical character recognition (OCR) systems combined with speech synthesis (computer-generated speech) has become increasingly accepted as a means of compensating for reading disabilities. These OCR systems, or reading machines, convert printed text to spoken language so the user can hear and see written words. These technologies are now marketed internationally (for example, WYNN^®, Kurzweil 3000^®), commonly found in assistive technology centers serving individuals with learning disabilities, frequently exhibited at LD conferences, generally considered in assistive technology evaluations for students with LD, and regularly discussed in publications on LD and assistive technology.

As OCR systems continue to gain popularity as a compensatory tool for children with reading difficulties, it is important for parents to know whether scientific studies support their use. Furthermore, parents need to be aware that selecting specific technologies for their children is dependent on the individual child, the task to be performed, and the setting in which it is to be used. Hopefully, this article will shed light on these issues by reviewing research on the use OCR combined with synthetic speech for persons with reading disabilities.

Tucson: Parents concerned about charter school run by Turkish Islamist movement � Creeping Sharia

Tucson: Parents concerned about charter school run by Turkish Islamist movement

By creeping

Last year we posted a piece from Campus Watch that raised concerns about a Turkish organization, Fethullah Gulen, possibly infiltrating U.S. schools to advance Islamism. That post has received quite a few hits and comments recently.

Now, another of the Gulen schools, one that was listed in the previous piece, in Arizona, has come under scrutiny. By Tim Vanderpool in the Tucson Weekly, Parents raise concerns that a Tucson charter school has ties to a Turkish nationalist movement:

No one can knock the numbers. In recent years, students at Tucson’s Sonoran Science Academy have secured stellar scores in math, science and other categories. The academy has earned glowing mentions in national magazines such asU.S. News and World Report, and in 2009, was deemed Charter School of the Year by the Arizona Charter School Association.

But some parents of children who attend the academy on West Sunset Road believe it harbors goals reaching far beyond academia. They suspect the Sonoran Academy of being part of a confederation of learning institutions secretly linked to, and advancing, the cause of Turkish scholar and Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.

While most of those parents have resisted coming forward, fearing reprisal from an organization they say is known to target critics, one parent did

Education Research Report Recommendations for Healthier School Menu

Recommendations for Healthier School Menus

More fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, less sodium and a limit on calories served per meal—those are just some of the recommendations a committee of experts has made on how to improve the nation’s school lunch and breakfast menus.

A new report, “School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children,” by the Institute of Medicine recommends that the Food and Nutrition Service of the USDA—which oversees the school meal programs—adopt standards for menu planning that are more in line with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Full report.

The recommended changes in school menu planning include increasing the amount and variety of fruit at breakfast and vegetables at lunch. Schools should offer starchy vegetables such as potatoes less often and provide more green leafy and orange vegetables and more legumes. No more than half the fruit should be juice.

Schools should ensure that half or more of the bread and other grain products they serve are rich in whole grains and they should reduce the amounts of unhealthy saturated and trans fats.

School meals must meet minimum calorie requirements to ensure growing children get enough energy. But given the increasing rate of childhood obesity, the report recommends that maximum calorie levels be set as well.

The amount of salt in school meals needs to be reduced given the long-term health risks associated with excessive sodium intake. A typical high school lunch contains around 1,600 milligrams of sodium, much more than the 740 milligrams recommended. Because gradual changes in food flavors are more acceptable than abrupt alterations, schools should phase in salt reductions over the next 10 years.

The report’s recommendations are based on the latest child health and nutrition science. They reflect the greater understanding of children's nutritional needs and the dietary factors that contribute to obesity and other chronic health problems we have gained since the school meal programs were last updated.

Elected officials and UFT call for changes to state charter school law - United Federation of Teachers

Elected officials and UFT call for changes to state charter school law - United Federation of Teachers:

"Urge amendments to ensure charter schools are open to all, including special ed and non-English speaking students

Proposed changes would make finances transparent, ban profiteering in publicly financed charters

State Senate Majority Leader John Sampson talks about FACT - Fairness, Accountability, Choice and Transparency - at the UFT's press conference on Jan. 3.
Citing evidence that New York City charter schools enroll far fewer of the city’s poorest students, English-language learners and special education pupils, a group of elected officials, parents and the UFT proposed on Jan. 3 a set of wide-ranging changes to New York State’s charter school law.

The changes are designed to ensure equal access to charters by all students, to increase transparency in charter school finances and operations, and to remove the ability of for-profit operators to use charters as profit centers."

Critics fear Stanislaus County charter schools have an unfair advantage - Local - Modbee.com

Critics fear Stanislaus County charter schools have an unfair advantage - Local - Modbee.com:

"When her twin daughters, Megan and Mackenzie, were in third grade, Janice Anderson noticed a shift in their school habits. They weren't motivated.

She determined it was because few of their peers were inclined to take school seriously, and their teacher seemed unable to keep everyone on task."

Many more Stanislaus County families are choosing charter schools — enough to create demand for eight new charter campuses in just the past five years.

Those decisions are changing the way education is delivered, challenging public schools to be more flexible and giving parents more choices than they've ever had.

Yet some fear that charter schools are "skimming" the most involved parents — ones such as Anderson — out of the traditional public school system, putting those schools at a long-term disadvantage against their newer rivals.

"Another educator once told me that it's like traditionals and charters are all in a race, but the state allows charters to build their race cars faster," said Bill Redford, director of Riverbank Language Academy and a former employee of the California Charter Schools Association.

In many ways, charter schools are better positioned for success. They tend to be smaller schools that give students more individual attention.

San Jose parents try to lure high-scoring charter school to the East Side - San Jose Mercury News

San Jose parents try to lure high-scoring charter school to the East Side - San Jose Mercury News:

"Their children are still in elementary school, but a group of San Jose parents who are already thinking about high school have launched an intense lobbying campaign to attract a top-performing charter school to the East Side.

On Thursday, the founders of Summit Preparatory Charter High in Redwood City will hold an information session at Foothill Presbyterian Church. In preparation, San Jose parents, many with children at the K-5 Adelante Dual-Language Academy, hope to attract a big turnout and present a petition with 1,000 signatures asking that the Summit Institute choose East San Jose for one of two expansion campuses planned for fall 2011.

'We're parents who believe in small schools,' said organizer Bernie Kotlier, who emphasized that parent interest in Summit isn't a reflection on the quality or politics of the East Side Union High School District, the system their children would attend after the eighth grade."

Hindus urge Massachusetts schools for choice in studying of religious texts

Hindus urge Massachusetts schools for choice in studying of religious texts

Hindus have urged Massachusetts (USA) schools to either allow students the flexibility to choose the religious text to study in the class instead of just mandating one religious text on the entire class or teach the texts of all major world religions.

A controversy reportedly arose recently in a Newton (Massachusetts) high school when a student refused to read passages from a religious text as an assignment because he was an atheist.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that opening-up the Massachusetts children to major world religions and non-believers’ viewpoint would make them well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizens of tomorrow. It also made a good business sense to know the beliefs of “others” in a global community. Moreover, students should have knowledge of the entire society to become full participants in the American and world community.

Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that a special curriculum should be prepared for students who were non-believers as an alternative to the study of religious texts, Rajan Zed stressed.

In 2008-2009 school year, there were 958, 910 students in 1848 elementary and secondary schools in Massachusetts. Graduation rate of the state schools in 2008 was 81.2 percent. Mitchell D. Chester is Commissioner of Massachusetts Elementary and Secondary Education.

Massachusetts, which reportedly leads the nation in technology, higher education, and health care; is known for Pilgrims landing, American Revolution, Martha’s Vineyard, Adams and Kennedy families, Harvard University, and home to the country's oldest high school(1635).

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