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Thursday, January 7, 2010

Who Will Redraw Our Districts? We Draw The Lines







We Draw The Lines

Welcome to We Draw the Lines. The California State Auditor's webpage for information about California's FIRST Citizens Redistricting Commission.

You made it happen!

Before the Voters FIRST Act, California lawmakers were charged with drawing their own legislative and Board of Equalization districts. But California voters changed all that when they authorized the creation of the Citizens Redistricting Commission (Commission) in the November 2008 General Election. Now YOU can apply to serve on an independent Commission that will draw district boundaries for the state Senate, Assembly, and Board of Equalization.
Please check out General Information and the Application and Selection Process for details on this historic and exciting opportunity for YOU to help draw the lines. Check back frequently as new, updated information will continually be added. If you need a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the Commission selection process, please contact us, toll free, at 1-866-356-5217 or send a letter or e-mail specifying the accommodation you are requesting to votersfirstact@auditor.ca.gov.

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  • Dec 15 - App Period Begins

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You can apply today!

Apply for the Commission Online—December 15, 2009 throughFebruary 12, 2010. Learn about the general application and selection process and timeline. You can apply by clicking on the icon to the right:
If you have questions or comments or need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this process, call us toll free at 1-866-356-5217 or send us an e-mail atvotersfirstact@auditor.ca.gov. We'll be happy to answer any of your questions. We encourage as many applicants as possible to apply and take advantage of this exciting, once-in-a-decade opportunity to be on this new Commission!

You can see how many applications are being submitted!

Do you want to know how many applications we're receiving and where they are coming from? We are tracking that information on a daily basis and will be providing daily updates right here! Easy to read graphics will be posted every Monday starting December 21, 2009.
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California State Auditor, Bureau of State Audits
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Educator – Educational News- Why Teachers Quit


Educator – Educational News:
"One top reason teachers leave the profession is their lack of mastery of one of the basic skills necessary to be successful in the field: effective management of student behavior.

Although classroom management is taught in teacher preparatory classes, few graduates leave Education College with the ability to successfully deal with the disruptive behavior that will undoubtedly present itself in that new teacher’s classroom.

Why the lack of mastery in such a basic and necessary skill of the teaching profession? It is the nature of the beast. The skills are not intrinsic and are not easily taught through instruction. Effective classroom management is best learned through experience. And experience is just what a freshman teacher lacks."
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SAC City DAC Education News & Comment

SAC City DAC Education News & Comment:


"The next DAC meeting is Tuesday, January 12, 2010
at the Genesis High School, Multi-purpose Room, adjacent to the Serna Center
from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.
Free dinner and daycare is provided for your convenience.
Agenda and Minutes are attached."



SCUSD January 2010 Message from DAC Chair Wanda Yanez -
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District Participation in Race to the Top: Binding, or Not? - Politics K-12 - Education Week


District Participation in Race to the Top: Binding, or Not? - Politics K-12 - Education Week


District Participation in Race to the Top: Binding, or Not?

By Michele McNeil on January 7, 2010 1:19 PM | 1 Comment | No TrackBacks
Earlier this week, Alyson blogged about the tension between states and districts over Race to the Top participation. The more school districts that sign an MOU agreeing to participate in a state's reform plan, the more points a state gets in the competition. And participating school districts, in return, would enjoy a slice of their state's award.
But many districts aren't sure exactly what they're committing to do, and even wonder if it's a binding agreement.
Well, the U.S. Department of Education weighed in on this during two technical planning seminars last month, when state teams asked whether local districts can drop out from participating after a state wins a grant.
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Fun Math Blog


Fun Math Blog


Intel Partners with President Obama and Commits $200 Million for Math and Science Education

January 7th, 2010
I received this email from Intel yesterday and thought many of you would be interested:
Today, as part of President Obama’s “Educate to Innovate” Campaign, Intel joined with the President to honor America’s best math and science teachers and committed $200 million to help improve math and science achievement in the US. As part of this commitment, Intel will provide math and science training to more than 100,000 U.S. teachers over the next 3 years.
At Intel, it is commonly said that computers aren’t magic, teachers are. And that’s why Intel continues to provide teachers with the knowledge, tools and resources they need to help their students excel in math and science and succeed in an innovation-driven society.
Today’s commitment includes:
  1. The expansion of Intel Math – an intensive 80-hour professional development math course for elementary school teachers – to school districts in all 50 states at no cost.
  2. New Web-based instruction and collaboration tools for science teachers of all grades as part of the Intel Teach program.

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Perez Voted In As Assembly Speaker - Politics News Story - KCRA Sacramento


Perez Voted In As Assembly Speaker - Politics News Story - KCRA Sacramento:

"Perez Voted In As Assembly Speaker
LA Democrat Becomes First Openly Gay Person To Hold Position"


SACRAMENTO, Calif. -The California Assembly has voted in John Perez as the new speaker.

Perez, a Democrat from Los Angeles who is in his first term, has become the first openly gay person to hold the powerful position.


Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, praised Perez for being openly gay and being part of the LGBT Caucus.


Perez has said his main focus will be on California's economy.


"I will present your budget to the Big 5, not the Big 5's budget to you," Perez said.

At the last second, Republicans tried to vote in Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, but he only had half the 


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Education Research Report: Development of Assessment Systems


Education Research Report: Development of Assessment Systems:


"Public comment by Gerald M. Eads II, Ph.D.



Race to the Top Assessment Meeting


Gerald Eads currently conducts research for the Professional Standards Commission, Georgia’s teacher certification agency. He has served as head of testing for the Virginia Department of Education, research faculty for the State Data & Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and assistant for policy research to the director at the Georgia Office of Educational Accountability. His doctoral training was in experimental and educational psychology and measurement. The opinions offered herein are entirely those of the author and do not represent the position of any agency."


1. Validity

The RT3 assessment executive summary notes that “the framework would focus on the design and quality of assessment systems and not accountability policies” yet it is the accountability policies which drive validity – and validity is at the very core of the issue of quality. The testing system you are considering must be validated for each of your purposes: instructional improvement, measuring school, principal, and teacher effectiveness, and predicting college “readiness.” It would behoove us, for example, to require state consortia to demonstrate that the testing system differentiates among teachers on meaningful dimensions. Just because “scores go up” does not mean in and of itself that anything of value changes – higher graduation rates, increased college success, lower unemployment rates, employment persistence, etc. Unless we can demonstrate externally referenced value, a testing system is nothing more than the proverbial boat _ _ that is to say, a hole in the water into which we pour money. Developing an assessment system without considering policy intent and implication is little different from building the atom bomb and refusing to address the consequences. Your Framework begins with policy validity issues, not the least of which is “Individual student achievement as measured against standards that build toward college and career readiness by the time of high school completion” – we cannot know that the tests
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voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.


voiceofsandiego.org | News. Investigation. Analysis. Conversation. Intelligence.


Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz


I'm still looking for Jose Garcia. Do you know him? We're trying to find as many children as possible with the most common name in San Diego Unified to showcase the many faces and stories within the massive school system. E-mail me if you can help! And now for your daily newsblitz:
Sick of turnover in superintendents, leaders at San Diego Unified say something needs to change in the superintendent search. But what? We report that some want a different, more open search for the next chief, which could lure less traditional candidates -- and turn away superintendents from big districts who climb from one school system to the next.
We blog that sitting out on Race to the Top, a competition for more school stimulus money, would likely affect only eight schools in San Diego Unified, according to a school district analysis, because the criteria for getting the money are so strict.
We also explain what the heck priority-based budgeting is and how it will work for schools.
School board member John de Beck derides it as "fantasy-based budgeting" in the San Diego News Network and proposes across-the-board salary cuts instead.
Shelia Jackson tells the Union-Tribune it's too early to count her out of the race for
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Eduflack: How Valuable Are the Race Fire Drills?


Eduflack: How Valuable Are the Race Fire Drills?:

"In recent months, we have seen state departments of education and state legislatures scurry to make themselves eligible and better positioned to win a federal Race to the Top grant. From knocking down the firewalls between student performance data and teachers to smoothing the path for charter school expansion to adopting common core standards to just demonstrating a hospitable environment for education reform and change, states have been doing anything and everything to gain a better position for the Race.


Earlier this week, Michigan announced sweeping reforms to put them in line with the federal requirements. California is currently debating similar positions (with what seems like growing concerns). And we seem genuine changes in reform culture in states like Indiana, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and many others along the way. (Every state, that is, except for the Republic of Texas, which as of yesterday still hasn't committed to even pursuing RttT, despite the $250K it received from the Gates Foundation to prepare its application.)"
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Sacramento Press Workshop n SLR photography



Community Journalism at its very best!
Sacramento Press Workshop n SLR photography


Happy New Year!

Thanks to everyone who helped make 2009 such a great year. We had a huge increase in contributors, good turnouts at our workshops and we've really enjoyed meeting many of you and hearing your stories.

For the month of January, we plan on having a workshop on SLR photography. Anthony Bento, who gave an introduction to photography workshop, will be teaching this one. The SLR workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 13, from 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Bento has a B.A. in film and digital media from UC Santa Cruz, where he photographed and reported on the 2004 presidential campaign and other political events. He has also worked as a product photographer in New York City and here in Sacramento as a freelance photojournalist for Sacramento News & Review, and as a community contributor for the Sacramento Press.

There were many people who expressed interest in an advanced photography workshop, so we've created just that.

Please bring your SLR camera, and your specific questions about the settings and tools.

If you have no experience with SLR, we don't recommend you attend this particular workshop.

If you have other ideas for photography workshops or other types of workshops, please email them to journalism@sacramentopress.com

We will have the workshop at our office, which is located at 431 I St., Suite 107 in the Amtrak station. We are in the same building complex as Starbucks. If you are facing Starbucks, go around the building to the left and you'll see our Sac Press sign out front.

We recommend you find parking on the street, bike or take light rail, as the Amtrak parking lot charges $1.50 per half hour and we cannot cover the cost of parking. If you take light rail, we will give you two passes when you get here - one to cover your trip here and one to cover your trip back.

For this workshop, please RSVP by clicking the RSVP button below. If the button doesn't work, please email workshops@sacramentopress.com

If you have any trouble finding the office, you can give us a call at 916-443-5403.

Thanks, and we hope to see you there!
 
Join us at:
Sacramento Press
431 I Street, Suite 107
Sacramento, CA 

Google Map & Directions >

RSVP Your Spot
RSVP to reserve your spot



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Elk Grove Citizen : News


Elk Grove Citizen : News:


President Amavisca on the rough road for EGUSD



"2010 is expected to be one of the toughest years for the Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD).


The district must educate more than 62,000 students while facing a $42 million shortfall in a budget that will fund the schools beginning in July.

California’s budgetary woes still persist as the state is anticipating a projected $20 billion deficit and as the routine goes, public school districts must plan and adopt a budget based on guesses as to how much the state might fund them.

Entering this ordeal is the EGUSD’s board president for 2010, Jeanette Amavisca. Summer school was already slashed for the new year, and layoffs or position elimination is being considered for scores of teachers, counselors, librarians and vice principals."
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Education Week: Obama Unveils Projects to Bolster STEM Teaching


Education Week: Obama Unveils Projects to Bolster STEM Teaching:


"President Barack Obama yesterday announced more than $250 million in private investments to help attract and prepare new teachers for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, collectively known as the “STEM” field, and to help improve instruction in those areas by practicing teachers.


The new commitments roughly double the amount the president first announced in November as part of his “Educate to Innovate” campaign for excellence in STEM education. (“Obama Backing STEM Education,” Dec. 2, 2009.)"




The campaign is described by the White House as a partnership that involves efforts not only from the federal government, but also from leading companies, foundations, nonprofit groups, and science and engineering societies to work with young people across the nation to excel in science and math.
The largest single commitment in yesterday’s announcement comes from the Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif., and the Intel Foundation, which are planning a 10-year, $200 million effort to expand on work under way to improve math and science education, including through increased professional-development opportunities for teachers.

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State school board agrees to help Alisal, Greenfield districts | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian


State school board agrees to help Alisal, Greenfield districts | thecalifornian.com | The Salinas Californian:


"The state Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday night to appoint two of its members to oversee four poorly performing school districts, two of them in Monterey County — Greenfield Union and Alisal Union."



A third Salinas Valley district, King City Union, was not among those that will receive a visit from state officials. Officials were unavailable to explain why late Wednesday night.
The two state trustees will meet with the districts' leadership and the state District Assistance and Intervention Team to help develop plans for improving academic performance, and will return to the board in March to report on the progress. The state board took action in Sacramento at a meeting broadcast on the state Department of Education Web site.
The state board moved away from issuing harsher sanctions — which included possible district takeover by the state — against the academically troubled districts in favor of working with them to solve problems, said Esperanza Zendejas, Alisal superintendent, who was present in Sacramento.

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Squeaking into 2010: Parenting teens

Squeaking into 2010: Parenting teens:

"It all comes back to parenting. Teens will always be teens, but parenting is becoming more and more challenging. We are not allowed to just 'squeak by' when it comes to parenting.
We need to be proactive and keep up to date on all sorts of things. Issues many parents didn't even think about 20 years ago!

Remember, with help/hindrance of technology, doors have opened that have never been entered before. It is a new time, a new life, and a new road for parenting. The Internet is your new information highway, and all parents need this road map."
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What Makes a Great Teacher? - The Atlantic (January/February 2010)


What Makes a Great Teacher? - The Atlantic(January/February 2010):

"ON AUGUST 25, 2008, two little boys walked into public elementary schools in Southeast Washington, D.C. Both boys were African American fifth-graders. The previous spring, both had tested below grade level in math.

One walked into Kimball Elementary School and climbed the stairs to Mr. William Taylor’s math classroom, a tidy, powder-blue space in which neither the clocks nor most of the electrical outlets worked.

The other walked into a very similar classroom a mile away at Plummer Elementary School. In both schools, more than 80 percent of the children received free or reduced-price lunches. At night, all the children went home to the same urban ecosystem, a ZIP code in which almost a quarter of the families lived below the poverty line and a police district in which somebody was murdered every week or"
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New Research Reveals PreK-12 Educators Increasingly Value and Use Digital Media � PBS TeacherLine Blog


New Research Reveals PreK-12 Educators Increasingly Value and Use Digital Media � PBS TeacherLine Blog:


New Research Reveals PreK-12 Educators Increasingly Value and Use Digital Media

Arlington, Va. (Jan. 5, 2010) – According to a new national research report, “Digitally Inclined,” compiled by Grunwald Associates LLC for PBS, teachers are making significant progress in adoption of digital media and Internet use. These findings clearly signal widespread changes in both early childhood and K-12 education, including more effective individualized instruction.
Grunwald Associates LLC, the independent research and consulting firm, which conducted the study under a grant from PBS, released the findings today from their annual survey on educators’ use of media and technology. PBS is sharing select findings from the 2009 survey conducted by Grunwald, which has been examining educators’ media use for PBS since 2002, to provide information about both instructional needs and trends to education leaders, policymakers, and the media industry. This year’s survey includes data collected from Pre-K educators for the first time.
“The significant increases in the usage, frequency and access to digital media in the classroom over the past several years, along with the research showing that integrating multimedia and technology into instruction can boost student achievement, is driving our strategy to produce the most effective media for 

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Education Week: States Struggle to Stitch Together Pre-K-20 Data


Education Week: States Struggle to Stitch Together Pre-K-20 Data:


"Spurred by the prospect of grant funding from the federal Race to the Top competition, as well as money made available from other parts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more states are taking strides to link K-12 data systems with postsecondary agencies to develop a more holistic picture of each student.

But despite the emphasis among policy leaders on K-20 data systems, the progress that states have made toward that goal varies greatly, and many challenges—both technical and political—remain."
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Southern Education Foundation A New Diverse Majority: Students of Color in the South’s Public Schools


Southern Education Foundation:

Southern Education Foundation A New Diverse Majority: Students of Color in the South’s Public Schools

"Welcome. The Southern Education Foundation offers this site with easy-to-use information and analysis on the key issues of education in the American South.

Fairness and excellence are crucial challenges in Southern education. The South has America's lowest levels of education and income largely because children who need the most help to succeed in school often get the least support. In turn, America and the South need these children to succeed to meet the nation's growing economic imperatives.

Fairness and excellence also define SEF's mission. For almost 140 years, SEF has carried out strategic, innovative work to expand the benefits of education to all people. Today, SEF brings a sense of history and a cutting-edge perspective to our work. Please join us."

Get the Report: A New Diverse Majority: Students of Color in the South’s Public Schools
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Sacramento Press / Bookstore showcases Sac's "Living Library"


Sacramento Press / Bookstore showcases Sac's "Living Library":

"Behind every good book is a writer with something to say and a talent for saying it.


Booksellers like Peter Keat know this. They make a living finding these people and making their voices more accessible on the shelves of bookstores.

But not all the great stories are written down.

Starting this month, Keat and his tiny staff at Time Tested Books are offering a series of monthly talks and lectures from Sacramento's living and breathing cultural icons, thinkers and experts — and people who have just led intriguing lives. The free series, which will be held every third Sunday, is called the Sacramento Living Library"
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