Monday, March 1, 2010

Community Evaluates Riot's Impact on Advocacy Efforts - The Daily Californian

Though individuals touting the cause of public education rioted Friday morning, organizers of the upcoming day of statewide action said the March 4 demonstrations will not be defined by further violence.

Rioting broke out Friday morning on the south side of the UC Berkeley campus where 200 people gathered to dance, clashed with police and vandalized public property. With days remaining until the statewide protests planned for March 4, student and faculty organizers said advocating for public education is the best way for the campus community to move forward.

UC Berkeley senior Marika Goodrich, 28, was arrested at the intersection of Durant and Telegraph avenues and booked for assault on a police officer, inciting a riot and resisting arrest, according to Berkeley police Officer Andrew Frankel. Zachary Miller, 26, a UC Berkeley alumnus and an organizer for the "Rolling University," was also arrested at the intersection and was booked for inciting a riot, resisting arrest and obstructing a police officer.

Both are being held at Berkeley City Jail and will be arraigned Monday. Two officers suffered minor injuries but did not require medical attention, according to a BPD statement.

Activists from all sectors of public education are expected to rally for increased state investment on March 4.

But some organizers of the upcoming protests said the student movement is decentralized. Whether more rioting, building occupations or confrontations with law enforcement ensues is a matter of what individual activists decide, said graduate student Callie Maidhof, an organizer and spokesperson for the Durant Hall occupiers.

"The riot seems likes a very clear example of what happens when the state has abused its power for so long," she said. "We're not a centralized movement. If (the riot) is not what people want to see happen on March 4, that's not what they'll do. Nobody is forcing

Quick Takes: Obama Picks Another Californian for Top Education Post - Inside Higher Ed

Quick Takes: Obama Picks Another Californian for Top Education Post - Inside Higher Ed:

"President Obama last week nominated Eduardo M. Ochoa, the No. 2 official at Sonoma State University, to be assistant secretary for postsecondary education at the U.S. Department of Education. Ochoa, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma since 2003, and a professor of economics at institution as well, has spent most of his career in the California State University system, previously serving as business dean at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona and as a professor and chair of economics and statistics at California State University at Los Angeles. The assistant secretary for postsecondary education historically has been the federal government's top higher education official. But if the Senate confirms Ochoa's nomination as assistant secretary, he would join an unusually crowded group of higher education policy makers at the Education Department -- most of whom are Californians. In addition to Under Secretary Martha J. Kanter, who was chancellor of Foothill-De Anza Community College District, the department's upper ranks also includes Robert Shireman, who has since March been serving as deputy under secretary, a new position in this administration that did not require Senate confirmation. Daniel Madzelan, a long-time career official in the department, is acting as assistant secretary."

Why we're protesting, part one | SocialistWorker.org

Why we're protesting, part one | SocialistWorker.org:

"Why we're protesting, part one

March 4 will be a day of strikes and protests to defend public education for students, teachers, faculty, campus workers and members of the community in California. The movement to save our schools is building at every level of the public education system.

We asked some of the people organizing for the day of action to explain what they're fighting for. We'll publish their statements over three days."

Why we're protesting, part one

March 4 will be a day of strikes and protests to defend public education for students, teachers, faculty, campus workers and members of the community in California. The movement to save our schools is building at every level of the public education system.

We asked some of the people organizing for the day of action to explain what they're fighting for. We'll publish their statements over three days.

Fresno State protesters demonstrating against budget cuts and furloughs last October (Diane M. Blair)

Brian Malone
Graduate student, University of California Santa Cruz

I AM a graduate student in literature, and my department (along with every other department in the humanities) has been among the hardest hit at University of California Santa Cruz. Funding for graduate students is scarce: I've watched many of my friends and colleagues take leaves of absence this year, and I wonder if I will need to do the same next year.

But I'm not just angry about my own uncertain future; I'm angry for my students. The supposedly prestigious UC education that my students are receiving is merely a ghost of what it was even five years ago.

Course enrollments are already too large, and increasing yearly. Teaching assistants and discussion sections are being cut. Libraries may soon be closed for days at a time. Written assignments are being reduced or replaced with multiple-choice exams. Retention programs for economically disadvantaged students and students of color are being slashed. And for this, my students--those who can afford to remain in school--will pay 32 percent more in tuition. I can't stand for this. And neither should you.

The UCSC March 4 Strike Committee--a body made up of students, faculty, and

The Diamondback - Activism: Getting what we can take

For student activists, it’s hard to point to wins. The structures of the university are made to seem inevitable and enduring, and you’d never know by looking that the Maryland Food Co-op or Shuttle-UM were originally projects of student resistance. As soon as students win anything, it is quickly swallowed into the mythology of the university, leaving only a trace of its origins. But as stable as the university seems, it is and has always been in a constant state of flux, a dynamic project between all affected parties.

Of course, there are tensions between different affected groups: Students want to pay less and still have access to a quality, holistic education,;workers want a living wage and to be treated with respect; the state wants to improve the school’s reputation while also paying less; and administrators just want to be paid more. The state and administrators have been incredibly successful at convincing students that we all share the same set of goals and that students (or faculty and staff for that matter) advocating for their own interests are selfish and not committed to the well-being of the university. Last week, the Student Government Association split evenly on whether to support the state’s proposed 3-percent tuition increase in an act of “thank you, sir, may I have another?” masochistic confusion.

Students themselves are eager to point out the contradictions between wanting to pay less and learn more — as if there were a direct causation there — but no one wants to tell the state it can’t cut our

After budget cuts, Texas colleges woo Calif. educators | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

SAN DIEGO — In the cutthroat game of university recruiting, one state's fiscal crisis is another's opportunity.

While the revered University of California is getting pounded by deep state budget cuts, the University of Texas System is trumpeting its robust fiscal fitness in print advertisements, a calculated bid to lure some of the nation's top scientists and professors to Texas while the getting is good.

The UT System ran a full-page ad in the Chronicle of Higher Education this month with the headline, “Texas can take you higher,” boasting that billions of dollars were available to hire star professors, support research and build new facilities and that there was a 7 percent increase in state funding last year.

In her office at the University of California at San Diego Chancellor Marye Anne Fox, a former administrator at UT-Austin, took note of the burnt orange ad with a wry smile.

“The impression we get in California is that there are unlimited funds in Texas,” Fox said.

But how long will Texas be able to boast deep pockets?

Come 2011, Texas is facing a budget shortfall, and Gov. Rick Perry has asked all state agencies to chop 5 percent of state funds out of their budget before then. Leaders at public community colleges and universities glumly submitted proposed cuts, warning that wage and hiring freezes could wipe out Texas' competitive edge.

California's ‘mistake'

Some academics are turning to the business lobby to spare them from cuts, saying their influence with GOP lawmakers could coax more dollars for higher education.

“Don't make the same mistake California did. Don't do it,” William Henrich, president of the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, said at a recent meeting of college presidents, lawmakers and business leaders. “The business community is such a powerful voice in Texas. They have to make the argument to lawmakers.”

March 4 Day of Action: Historic day for education? - Santa Cruz Sentinel

March 4 Day of Action: Historic day for education? - Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ -- Thursday, if labor organizers and advocates have their way, all levels of education will come to a grinding halt throughout the state as tens of thousands of students, teachers and their supporters march on Sacramento and in their communities in protest of California's education crisis.
The state's $20 billion budget deficit has trickled down to K-12 and higher education, leaving school districts, community colleges and universities scrambling to cut programs and staff to fill gaping budget holes. The proposed state budget leaves education short about $2.5 billion, despite Gov. Schwarzenegger's pledge to fully fund K-12 education.
UC Santa Cruz officials have had to cut about $50 million from their budget in the past two years and have asked academic and support services chairs for tentative plans to cut either 5.5 percent or 11 percent more for next year. Cabrillo College, with a spring enrollment of 5,514, is teaching the equivalent of 1,500 full-time students without state compensation, which runs between $4,500 and $5,000 per year per the equivalent of a full-time student.
Santa Cruz City Schools is looking to cut $5.2 million next year while the Pajaro Valley Unified School District is facing the loss of $8.7 million next year on top of $14 million in cuts for this year. Those include cuts to custodial staff and an assistant superintendent, class size increases from 20 to 30 students in kindergarten and third grade, and the loss of
all sports funding.
Scotts Valley is figuring out how to spread $1.5 million in cuts over the next three years. Other districts are dipping into rainy day funds to make up their differences, and nearly all are relying increasingly on parent fundraising.
Thursday's protests are part of a month-long demonstration for education, one piece of a solidarity movement by educators who are trying to show that troubles at one level of education impact all others.
"It's really an autonomous effort between students, workers and ... teachers," said Matthew Palm, UCSC Student Union Assembly commissioner of academic affairs.
About 120 UCSC students will be in Sacramento today to lobby, but the main focus is

Sacramento's Hmong community divided over charter school - Sacramento Recreation and Places to Visit - Sacramento, Gold Country, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco | Sacramento Bee

The idea of a charter school tailored to Hmong students has generated excitement among local Hmong educators and parents, whose children are some of the lowest achievers in the Sacramento City Unified School District.

Proponents of the school say the struggles of Hmong students have been obscured by the academic successes of Asian students in general. Specialized teaching methods and lessons at the Yav Pem Suab Academy, they say, would help those children flourish.

But the pastor of a small Hmong church on 47th Avenue says the proposed school lumps together culturally different ethnic Hmong groups.

Sacramento's estimated 20,000 Hmong include White Hmong, Blue Hmong (some of whom don't spell it with an "H" and are also known as Green Hmong) and even Striped Hmong and Black Hmong.

The Rev. Txer Paul Vang of the 130-member Hmong Calvary Evangelism Center details differences in dialect, spelling and culture in a passionate letter to Sacramento City Unified Superintendent Jonathan Raymond. He charges that the proposed charter marginalizes the Blue Hmong-Green Hmong.

Raymond could not be reached

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Make It Viral: Strike to Save Public Education March 4 Schools Matter

Schools Matter

Make It Viral: Strike to Save Public Education March 4

An interesting take from Inside Higher Ed:

The tricky thing about viruses is that it’s impossible to know where they might spread next or what damage they might do if they mutate. The same could be said of “viral” protest movements like the one that started in California months ago.
Talk of a series of March 4 demonstrations across Californiabegan in October, and since that time a loosely connected cyber network of angered faculty and students have planned their own protests across the country. What has emerged is the promise of the collective angst of cash-strapped public education -- from K-12 through the college sector -- bubbling over in hot spots from sea to shining sea.
They may face different levels of budget cuts, hail from different institutions and reside in different states, but these activists are all saying -- in one way or another -- “We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!” While that’s a message that many college administrators may privately embrace, since they too feel increasingly shortchanged by the state's budget-setters, the fervor of the protest movement presents a delicate dance for campus and system-level leaders trying to promote thei

More collaboration than conflict in Providence over education | Education | projo.com | The Providence Journal

PROVIDENCE — In January, after five city schools were named among the worst in Rhode Island, Providence Supt. Tom Brady had a choice: he could reorganize the schools with — or without — the union’s support.

Brady approached Providence Teachers Union President Steve Smith, who was currently suing the district over hiring practices, and asked if he would join him in speaking with teachers at the affected schools.

As they toured the schools, Brady would ask teachers with 20 years in the system to stand up, then those with 10 years and so forth. Each time, Brady said, “You all deserve a round of applause.”

Call it a tale of two cities.

While the superintendent and union president have been going at it in Central Falls, Brady and Smith have worked together on a plan to radically reshape five of the state’s lowest-performing schools.

On Friday, state Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist said that she hopes the partnership between management and labor in Providence is the wave of the future.

“I think that we have to acknowledge that change can be difficult,” she said. “I’m really encouraged to see them working together. Providence teachers are fortunate to have leadership that represents teachers while collaborating on what’s best for students.”

The latest collaboration was no small breakthrough. Last fall, the union sued Brady after then-state Education Commissioner Peter McWalters ordered Providence to abolish seniority, the time-honored way in which teachers are assigned to fill openings.

Teacher's union sues Arizona over policy changes

Teacher's union sues Arizona over policy changes:

"The state's largest teacher's union has joined the throng of plaintiffs suing the state over various actions driven by the state's budget crisis.

The Arizona Education Association's lawsuit, filed Thursday in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeks to overturn actions the Legislature took last summer that affect teachers and employment policy. Those actions were unconstitutional, the union argues, because they were taken during a special legislative session devoted to the state budget. The policy changes had nothing to do with the budget, the suit states.

The teachers are seeking an injunction to stop the policies, noting that many of the law's provisions are already being carried out at school districts across the state.

Among other things, lawmakers removed policies that set deadlines for issuing contracts, allowed seniority to be used as a factor in job-cut decisions and permitted union members to use personal time for union matters.

Legislators also blocked expansion of school districts' 'career-ladder' programs, which pay higher wages for higher-performing teachers.

This is the second time the AEA has taken its complaint to court. Late last year, it sought immediate relief from the Arizona Supreme Court, but the court declined to hear the case."

Daily Kos: Ravitch: �The Death and Life of the Great American School System

Ravitch: The Death and Life of the Great American School System

by teacherken

Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 02:20:35 AM PST

My support for NCLB remained strong until November 30, 2006. I can pinpoint the date exactly because that was the day I realized that NCLB was a failure.

This is a book review. Those words appear on p.99, which however odd a starting point is critical. I learned about this event contemporaneously from the late Gerald Bracey, who informed some of us by email and many more in this Huffington Post blog. At a conference at the American Enterprise Institute called to answer the question of whether No Child Left Behind was working, we learn from Bracey

Charged with summarizing the day, former assistant secretary of education for Bush I, Diane Ravitch, declared that the answer to the conference title's question was clearly, "No!"

That began an intellectual transformation that leads to the outstanding new book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. I will explore the book, the author and the implications of her transformation.

teacherken's diary :: ::

First, let me dispense with any necessary disclosures. My professional association with Diane Ravitch goes back almost a decade to when as a graduate student studying Federal educational policy I was fortunate enough to have an extended phone conversation picking her brain. Our contact has become more frequent especially in the past year, in part as a result of her transformation, a process she thoroughly explores in her first chapter, "What I Learned About School Reform." As a result of at least one of those exchanges, I am included in the acknowledgments as one who assisted Ravitch in obtaining information. I was aware of the general thrust of the book, but until I received a copy to review had no knowledge of the specific contents.

SPECIAL SESSION: Tentative budget deal reached; education spending would be cut 6.9 percent - News - ReviewJournal.com

SPECIAL SESSION: Tentative budget deal reached; education spending would be cut 6.9 percent - News - ReviewJournal.com:

"Carson City -- State spending on education would be cut by 6.9 percent under a budget deal Democrats and Republicans reached late Saturday, a source who had seen the draft budget document said.

The extra revenue would come mostly from the mining and banking industries. Casinos would not have to pay any new taxes or fees, but new licensees would be charged for investigations, according to the document. Because of economic hard times, the gaming industry had strongly objected to paying any more money."

The deal does not include a last-minute Republican Assembly idea to essentially allow private investors to buy unclaimed property the state collects, the source who saw the document said.

Members of the political party caucuses still must agree to the plan, which is part of an effort to close an $887 million budget gap and which could be approved at the special session as soon as today.

The deal, which could mean layoffs or pay cuts for teachers, was reached after five meetings over three days among legislative leaders and Gov. Jim Gibbons on Day 5 of the special session.

State workers fared better when, earlier in the day, the Assembly rejected more cuts to their pay but increased classroom sizes for Nevada's youngest pupils and closed many state offices on Fridays.

State Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, said he thought the Republican governor would sign off on the deal.

Protesters march to stop school changes - Wake County - NewsObserver.com

Protesters march to stop school changes - Wake County - NewsObserver.com:

"RALEIGH -- A call for equality in education took on an urgent and personal tone Saturday as protesters decried the potential end to the Wake County school system's policy of busing students for socioeconomic diversity.

The fourth annual march and rally, called HK on J, for Historic Thousands on Jones Street, drew a racially diverse crowd representing a wide range of local and national interests, from immigration reform to job creation. But it was the broad changes pending for the state's largest school district, which opponents condemn as a move to re-segregate schools, that drew some of the most pointed criticism.

'Hey-hey, ho-ho, John Tedesco's got to go,' some shouted, as Duke University historian Tim Tyson led marchers in a chant aimed at the Wake school board member, one in the new majority moving the system toward neighborhood schools. The crowd, which stretched about two city blocks, walked through downtown Raleigh to the Legislative Building, where Tyson stood onstage at the microphone."

Hundreds protest proposed education cuts | Richmond Times-Dispatch

Singing along with Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It," hundreds of teachers, schoolchildren and supporters rallied at the state Capitol yesterday to protest proposed cuts in K-12 education.

The rally, the brainchild of an Orange County school bus driver, drew educators from counties across the state, such as Hanover and Henrico, Pulaski, Westmoreland and Fairfax.

On a blustery day at the Bell Tower, many held signs with messages such as: "Cuts hurt kids," "You can't spell 'governor' without a teacher," and, sarcastically, "Reopen rest stops -- flush a child's education."

The House of Delegates and the state Senate have two weeks to reconcile rival spending plans that feature deep cuts to K-12 education.

The House would cut aid to K-12 education by $620 million, the Senate by $418 million. Both sides say they would offset some of the cuts through retirement savings for localities.

Gov. Bob McDonnell, who had sought $731 million in K-12 cuts, told reporters in Lynchburg on Friday

Castro: It's about school, kids

Before City Hall, before Harvard Law School, before Stanford University, Mayor Julián Castro was just another Hispanic kid in the San Antonio Independent School District.
His life mirrored that of many in the city's urban schools. He and his twin brother, Joaquín, also Stanford- and Harvard-educated and now a state representative, weren't the first in their family to go to college, but their mom — who has a graduate degree — was the sole financial supporter in their home.
Castro's grandmother took care of the boys while their mother worked. And while Rosie Castro made a name for herself as a community activist, it wasn't a role that brought home much money.
Castro is quick to tell you he wasn't special. He wasn't exceptionally gifted. But he worked hard and had role models around him who encouraged him to do his best and to keep college in his sights.
That's what he hopes to do for thousands of young San Antonians. Castro calls education a top priority and has backed it up with multiple initiatives focused on motivating young people.
“I want every child in San Antonio to be raised with the aspiration and expectation of going to college,” Castro said. “They won't all get there, but it should be everyone's goal.”
Castro isn't the first mayor to focus on education. The city budget has long included money for education, including funding for early-childhood and after-school programs, scholarships, literacy initiatives and job training.
Former Mayor Henry Cisneros was a driving force behind the creation of t

Nation & World | New school board may hit brake on busing | Seattle Times Newspaper

New school board may hit brake on busing

When Rosemarie Wilson moved her family to a wealthy suburb of Raleigh a couple of years ago, the biggest attraction was the prestige of...

By ROBBIE BROWN

The New York Times

RALEIGH, N.C. — When Rosemarie Wilson moved her family to a wealthy suburb of Raleigh a couple of years ago, the biggest attraction was the prestige of the public schools. Then she started talking to neighbors.

Don't believe the hype, they warned. Many were considering private schools. All pointed to an unusual desegregation policy, begun in 2000, in which some children from wealthy neighborhoods were bused to schools in poorer areas, and vice versa, to create economically diverse classrooms.

"Children from the 450 houses in our subdivision were being bused all across the city," said Wilson, for whom the final affront was a proposal by the Wake County Board of Education to send her two daughters to schools 17 miles from home.

She vented her anger at the polls, helping elect four new Republican-backed education board members last fall. Now in the majority, those board members are trying to make good on campaign promises to end Wake's nationally recognized income-based busing policy.

At stake is the direction of the 140,000-student school system, the largest in America to consider family income in school placements. Wake has long been the most prominent example of a district that dropped

Coyote Chronicle - CSU system joins "Es el Momento" campaign

The CSU has joined Es El Momento (The Moment Is Now), a national multimedia campaign aimed at advancing the U.S. college graduation goal and increasing high school completion and college readiness among Latinos.

“What the Latino community needs is a set of tangible solutions that mentor Latino youth, educate parents about the nuts and bolts of getting to college, financial aid process and making the most of college,” said CSUSB assistant professor Louie F. Rodriguez.

The multi-year campaign was launched on Feb. 23 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. and is being led by Univision Communications and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“We need to develop a situation where it is normal and expected that Latino youth will go to college, just like we see in middle-class communities," Rodriguez said.

“Increasing college readiness among Latinos is critical to meeting President Obama’s education goal of making the United States the leading nation in college degree holders by 2020,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “CSU is committed to supporting this national effort by maintaining several ongoing initiatives to overcome students’ college barriers.”

The three-year effort will focus on creating a college-going culture among U.S. Latinos and setting expectations for high school completion and college readiness.

In this program parents will learn about the structure of California’s educational system, are trained to successfully establish relationships with school principals and teachers, and get tips on how to establish a home environment that is conductive to learning.

School budget cuts harm society - Community Voices - Modbee.com

We all recognize that the very foundation of our democratic society is dependent on an educated citizenry. The freedoms we enjoy are contingent on each generation understanding their civic responsibilities. The 21st century global economy demands a highly skilled and educated workforce. Therefore it is incumbent on all of us to maintain the highest possible standards of education to support our leaders of tomorrow.

The reality is that no matter how much we value public education, California is facing an unprecedented inability to fund it adequately. We know that education is not alone in this challenge. Almost every sector of our state's economy is impacted by the financial meltdown. Sadly, many of you have lost your jobs, and we are all watching as essential health and safety services are being scaled back in our communities.

School boards are making extremely difficult decisions and parents are beginning to understand that their local schools may look different in the future. Employees in many school districts have been asked to take furloughs, and negotiations regarding salary concessions and shortened school years have begun in some districts.

Governor says racial incidents must stop - SignOnSanDiego.com

Governor says racial incidents must stop - SignOnSanDiego.com:

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the recent “horrific incidents” that have caused racial unrest at the University of California San Diego must stop.

“The acts of racism and intolerance that we have witnessed are completely unacceptable,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement released yesterday. “There is no excuse for this kind of behavior in our system of higher education or anywhere else and it will not be tolerated.”

Three recent episodes with racial overtones involving UCSD students have led many black students and others to say they now fear for their safety on campus.

The turmoil was sparked by an off-campus party Feb. 15, dubbed the “Compton Cookout,” that mocked Black History Month, and further stoked by a show on a student-run TV station that supported the party and called blacks ungrateful, using a racial slur. Then a noose was discovered Thursday night hanging in the UCSD"

Schools in state fired up over Day of Action Hostilities unwanted

Schools in state fired up over Day of Action

March 4th has gone viral.

The upcoming Day of Action to Defend Public Education - rallies, marches, teach-ins, even political theater - began as an idea on the UC Berkeley campus last fall and has caught fire up and down California, from elementary school to graduate school, and across two dozen states.
On the surface, Thursday's Day of Action seems likely to be an unprecedented show of unity among public education advocates at all levels who are angry that politicians and university officials with fingers on purse strings are letting the system decay.

"Everybody's coming together," said Callie Maidhof, a student at UC Berkeley, where students have protested tuition hikes, budget cuts and layoffs since last fall.

But some say the event is already scorched by the threat of violence. At an outdoor dance party early Friday, a crowd of Berkeley campus protesters seized a building, torched trash cans, threw bottles and got into an angry confrontation with police.

Hostilities unwanted

Students said protesters occupied the building in part to call attention to March 4th, and don't expect the hostilities to be repeated Thursday.

"It's important not to inject that level of damage into every action, or you'll alienate lots of people who don't want to act that way," said Xander Lenc, a student at the dance party that got out of hand.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/02/27/BA2L1C6QNT.DTL#ixzz0gqAfygfN