Race to Top’s $4.35 Billion Education Fund Chooses Few States - BusinessWeek

Race to Top’s $4.35 Billion Education Fund Chooses Few States - BusinessWeek

March 4 (Bloomberg) -- More than half of U.S. states won’t be in line today to receive grants from the Education Department’s $4.35 billion fund to improve student performance, Secretary Arne Duncan said.

Forty states and Washington, D.C. applied to the Race to the Top fund, the largest pool of federal discretionary education money in U.S. history. The grants, to be announced today, reward school systems for finding ways to strengthen academic standards, recruit better teachers, collect data on student performance and turn around failing schools that can be replicated across the country.

Most states won’t get any money because their proposals aren’t tough enough, Grover J. Whitehurst, who served in the Education Department under former President George W. Bush, said in an interview. Florida, Louisiana and Tennessee may prevail because of their use of technology to track student achievement over time, he said.

“Underlying the Obama administration’s specific proposals is an agenda for dramatic change of the public schools,” said Whitehurst, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, which analyzes U.S. public policy. “The reviewers will have been asking: ‘Is the state willing and able to change the status quo?’”

There will be “a lot more losers than winners,” Duncan said in testimony yesterday before the House Education and Labor Committee.

Gary Orfield: California's Charter Schools Earn a Failing Grade on Civil Rights

Gary Orfield: California's Charter Schools Earn a Failing Grade on Civil Rights

President Obama's education initiatives include major incentives for creating more charter schools. Policymakers at all levels of government are all currently touting charters as a big fix for our nation's troubled schools and California has made one of the deepest commitments to
charters. Before further expansion, however, Californians need to take a long look at some hard numbers.

There are, of course, some excellent and famous charter schools. In California, as well as nationwide, however, disturbing trends are emerging in charter schools where intense segregation is upending student body diversity and ignoring civil rights. Further, the lack of charter school data documenting the enrollment of English Language Learners makes it very difficult to know whether California's charter schools are equitably serving these students.

Charter schools stratify students by race, class and possibly language, and are more racially isolated than traditional public schools in virtually every state and large metropolitan area in the country, according to a report issued by the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA. Because separate is still fundamentally unequal, and because integrated schools prepare all students to live and work in our extremely diverse state, charter school stratification matters.

The number of California students in charter schools has more than doubled from 2000-01 to 2007-08. By 2007-08, charter students accounted for 4.1 percent of all public school students in the state, higher than the national share. California has changed its law to permit rapid expansion of the state's charter sector, though the great majority of students will surely remain in regular public schools.

As in charter schools across the West and some Southern states, white students are over-represented in California's charters. More than half of California's public school students are 

The Diamondback - Budget crisis: California dreaming

The Diamondback - Budget crisis: California dreaming

Budget crisis: California dreaming

By Matt Verghese

|

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The news coming out of California is sobering.   

Fifty years after California passed the “Master Plan for Higher Education,” promising free higher education to all in-state residents, a generation of students will witness the state’s public higher education system crumble around them. Costs borne by students and their families have exploded. Academic and student services have been cut, and thousands have been simply turned away as enrollments are slashed and the admissions process becomes more competitive.

In the wake of these distressing and depressing conditions, a coalition led by students, faculty and staff has assembled in an attempt to actively resist. Holding on to no formal lever of power, the success of this unlikely alliance will be measured by the attention it brings to the rotten state of affairs in California’s higher education system. It is a system that has forsaken accessibility, crucified affordability and failed to demonstrate the long-term economic and social value of higher education; a system that continues to cling to dated ideas, refuses to innovate and sees itself losing its global competitive advantage.

California’s problems may, at first, seem irrelevant to us here in this state. Gov. Martin O’Malley has advocated for higher education. Tuition was frozen for four consecutive years and student financial assistance increased, the state’s first dedicated funding source for higher education was established and significant investments were made in community colleges. The reward for this unwavering support has been a consistent rise in rankings of public colleges and universities and national recognition for the achievements of faculty, students and administrators.

Even in the midst of a stark budget crisis, support from Annapolis has been strong. The projected tuition increase could be as little as 3 percent for in-state residents, and legislation to limit future increases and provide a permanent reserve fund for higher education will likely earn majority approval in the Maryland General Assembly.

But we cannot become complacent. Our successes are dangerously fragile and can be overturned at the ballot box in November. Former Gov. Robert Ehrlich will undoubtedly challenge O’Malley, and students should fear the prospect. Maryland Republicans, not be outdone by Ehrlich, released a budget plan that specifically cut higher education and eliminated 1,000 jobs in the University System of Maryland.

Student leadership has been disastrous. The inability of the Student Government Association to decide its position on O’Malley’s budget is embarrassing and a one-night photo opportunity in Annapolis will not correct the perception that student leaders are disconnected and ineffective. SGA President Steve Glickman may think the Higher Education Investment Fund is the snake oil solution to our higher education conundrum, but it represents only a small part of a comprehensive funding model that may cost the state more than $800 million if fully implemented.

Teachers share their views on how to improve education | eSchoolNews.com

Teachers share their views on how to improve education | eSchoolNews.com

In one of the largest national surveys of public school teachers, thousands of educators agreed that today’s students aren’t college-ready when they graduate from high school. Teachers’ suggestions for solving this problem include clear, common standards; multiple measures of student performance; and greater innovation, including differentiated instruction and more use of digital resources.
The survey, titled “Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools,” was commissioned by Scholastic Inc. and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by Harris Interactive. More than 40,000 public school teachers in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade participated, and the results were released March 3.
The survey focused on the state of American education, the challenges facing students, and the tools and resources teachers need to face those challenges. Teachers gave honest opinions on issues such as student achievement, performance pay, technology use, and administrative support—and some of their answers might surprise school leaders.
“Teachers are a critical part of preparing our children for the future, and their voices are an essential addition to the national debate on education,” said Margery Mayer, president of Scholastic Education, during a webcast to discuss the survey results.
The survey reveals that, while teachers have high expectations for their students, they overwhelmingly agree that too many students are leaving unprepared for success beyond high school.
Teachers were nearly unanimous in saying that a high school diploma is not enough for today’s students. Ninety-three percent of teachers said schools must prepare students for more than high school graduation; at the same time, 9 in 10 teachers said not all of their students could leave high school prepared to succeed in a two- or four-year college.
Also, only 16 percent of teachers “agree strongly” that students enter their classroom prepared for on-grade-level work.
“A lot of teachers find it difficult when student enter the classroom unprepared for their grade level,” said Andrew Liss, a seventh-grade teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Edison, N.J., “because that means you have to take your foot off of the accelerator and stop and sometimes reverse. However, it’s part of a teacher’s job to differentiate instruction and help those who fall behind.”
“Even though states have standards, that doesn’t mean every school’s curriculum will be aligned with those standards,” said Cate Dossetti, a teacher at Fresno High School in California. “It also comes down to: Are you teaching children vital skills, like critical thinking, that they can take with them throughout life, or are you teaching them a finite fact to know in order to fill in the correct bubble on a standardized test?”
Other survey findings debunk several commonly held myths about teachers’ views.
For example, the survey found that while higher salaries are important, teachers said they are less important than a supportive leader. Fewer than half of teachers (45 percent) said higher

Why the Bad Teacher Narrative Does Not Help Our Students, But Fixing our Budget Process Will . Category: Reader Commentaries from The Berkeley Daily Planet - Thursday March 04, 2010

Why the Bad Teacher Narrative Does Not Help Our Students, But Fixing our Budget Process Will. Category: Reader Commentaries from The Berkeley Daily Planet - Thursday March 04, 2010

Why the Bad Teacher Narrative Does Not Help Our Students, But Fixing our Budget Process Will

By Tracey Iglehart

Wednesday March 03, 2010

Please help to defend public education Thursday, March 4th by rallying at 2134 MLK Jr. Way beginning at 3:3opm. As educators across the state of California plan events on March 4th to defend public education, President Obama is proudly claiming that the firing of teachers at a Rhode Island High School is sound education reform and a necessary form of accountability. 

Consistently low performing public schools can be mandated to implement 1 of 4 plans to improve the school’s performance, including the firing of an entire staff and then hiring back no more than 50% of that staff. 

This is what the superintendent of Central Falls High School decided to do after teachers refused to agree to a plan that would impose the following conditions on them: add 25 minutes to the school day, require teachers to provide tutoring on a rotating schedule before and after school, require teachers to eat lunch with students once a week, have teachers submit to more rigorous evaluations, attend weekly after-school planning sessions with other teachers and participate in two weeks of training in the summer.

The teachers refused because these are conditions that should be negotiated rather than imposed on them, especially since they were being mandated to do all of this with very little compensation. They are being called things like “callous”, “lazy”, and “uncaring” because they want to retain control of their working conditions in a profession, which already demands much of them. 

All too often, in the conversation about our public schools, the quick fix that reformers turn to is blaming the teacher. But this bad teacher narrative is not only harmful to those of us in the business of educating; it is also harmful to those we hope will gain an education, from pre-K students all the way up to young and old adults. By demonizing teachers, we stop looking at the complex reasons that schools are failing, thus preventing us from coming up with real solutions. 

In Berkeley, our educators and public health officials have come together to create the 2020 Vision, which includes 9 goals to eliminate the achievement gap we have in our Berkeley schools. Combined, these goals look at issues of poor health; poverty; youth and parent engagement; family partnerships with schools and city services; engaging curriculum and intervention; evaluation and accountability; and early childhood programs to ensure kindergarten readiness.

Youth Radio -- Youth Media International: California's Crisis: Public Education for the Privileged?

Youth Radio -- Youth Media International: California's Crisis: Public Education for the Privileged?

Originally published on Youthradio.org, the premier source for youth generated news throughout the globe.

By: Nathan Hadden and Nick Belizzi

Faculty, students, and supporters of California public education will be out in force at massive statewide protests for the March 4 Day of Action to Save Public Education. A 21-year-old UC Berkeley student from a working class San Francisco Bay Area family says local communities aren't represented at the university.

As Youth Radio has been reporting, student frustration with rising tuition is at a boiling point.

This UC Berkeley junior says all the classes in her ethnic studies major are impacted, even as expensive capital projects dominate the university landscape.

Education rallying begins early as K-12 and Cabrillo officials speak - San Jose Mercury News

Education rallying begins early as K-12 and Cabrillo officials speak - San Jose Mercury News

ANTA CRUZ - Santa Cruz County's K-12 and community college leaders gathered on the steps of the county courthouse in the rain Wednesday to build momentum for local efforts in today's day-long statewide movement to draw attention to California's education crisis.

"The future of California depends on the quality of the public education system," said Santa Cruz County Office of Education Superintendent Michael Watkins, who called on union leaders, students and superintendents to speak on how the $20 billion state budget deficit has trickled down to their districts of a few thousand students.

Last year, federal funds and district rainy day funds helped shore up several districts, including hers, said Soquel Union Elementary School District Superintendent Kathleen Howard. This year, there are no such funds, and the district will be giving preliminary pink slips to one of every four teachers in the small district.

"We have to layoff teachers because we can't guarantee their jobs," she said.

Brian King, president and superintendent of Cabrillo College, agreed with Howard, who said administrators have become de facto budget experts, rather than educators.

"We're getting too good at this budget process," he said.

Cabrillo is in its third year of cuts.

UCSC students have protested in small numbers since January against fee hikes and the loss of programs. At dawn, they plan to gather at the foot of the school, and will stay there all

day, picketing, protesting, trying to block access to the campus in the name of an education that is becoming too expensive for some.

Governor supports peaceful student protests

Governor supports peaceful student protests

On the eve of massive student protests over education funding in California today, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he is glad students are speaking out and that he believed the rallies on college and high school campuses from Eureka to San Diego would remain civil.
"I think I have enough faith in our students ... that they are going to rally and let their voices be heard and do it within the law," the governor told reporters after a meeting with administrators and students from the University of California, California State University and community colleges.
The March 4th Day of Action to Defend Public Education, as the day has been labeled, is an idea hatched last fall on the UC Berkeley campus and has gone national. Across California and in dozens of states, thousands of students, teachers, parents and employees from elementary school to graduate school will hold rallies, marches and teach-ins to draw attention to what they say is the declining quality of the nation's public education system as budgets dry up.
Schwarzenegger told those gathered at the meeting in his office that he is making it a priority to find permanent funding sources for higher education in California, and called

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/03/BAM41CAK3L.DTL#ixzz0hDDVk6PI

Daily 49er - Our View- March 4th protest calls for support of education

Daily 49er - Our View- March 4th protest calls for support of education

Our View- March 4th protest calls for support of education

By Staff

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Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Robbie Eich

If you’re at all a fan of politics, you quickly learn that a war of words is won or lost in picking what issues to debate.

We see this in the case of recent activity by the Republican Party, which has framed the upcoming November elections around our government’s supposed growing power and increased spending. Contrast that with what Democrats would rather discuss — like the success of the stimulus package or their efforts to increase access to health insurance — and it becomes apparent how important it is to pick your battles.

This principle of engagement is why we support today’s marches in support of California’s education systems, which are being attacked with budget cuts.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told state legislatures in January that the state spends 11 percent of its budget on prisons and only 7.5 percent on higher education. The governor admitted that 30 years earlier the opposite was true — California gave 10 percent of its budget to higher education and only 3 percent to prisons.

What happened? A number of occurrences were beyond the state’s control and some events Californians actually had a say over. We’re talking about propositions that California voters have passed that have hurt education.

Take, for example, California’s three strikes law and the case of Isaac Ramirez. After being convicted of past wrongdoings, Ramirez was sentenced to 25 years in prison, after committing his third strike in 1996. His crime was stealing a $200 VCR from Sears.
Luckily for Ramirez — not to mention the state’s coffers — he was released in 2002 after intervention by a federal court.

We’re not advocating that the state should release violent criminals or lessen its punishments for crimes such as murder, rape or robbery. What we are asking for is that the state reconsider how to deal with individuals like Ramirez.

In an article by NPR, Ramirez said the “word of God” changed him during his stay in prison. The power of literature is not unique to Ramirez. The cases of other prisoners, some convicted of violent crimes, attest to the universal benefit of reading.

Ramirez could be used as an example of what can happen when the state lacks funding for public education. Better schools usher less crime.

If Ramirez received an education from a well-funded, well-established California school, he may have not committed these crimes to begin with.

But why do California schools lack funding? We obviously can’t blame this solely on overfunded prisons. This question takes us to another proposition worth questioning.

In 1978 California voters amended the state constitution via Proposition 13. The proposition, passed in early June of that year, limiting property to tax to 1 percent of the full cash value of the real estate and capped any increase of such tax to 2 percent. Some of the funding was used for education.

Rallies to focus on cutbacks in education - latimes.com

Rallies to focus on cutbacks in education - latimes.com

Thousands of students, teachers and parents in California and across the country are expected to stage rallies, demonstrations, walkouts and other actions Thursday to decry what they say is an assault on public education at all levels.

The so-called Day of Action is in response to education funding cuts that have affected schools nationwide, but have been especially severe in California, where public colleges and universities have canceled classes, ordered furloughs and layoffs and enacted unprecedented student fee increases.

Faculty, students and alumni are expected to descend on the state Capitol in Sacramento for a rally and teach-in that will include personal testimonials on the effects of the cutbacks and fee increases. In downtown Los Angeles, participants plan to rally in Pershing Square and march to the governor's office in the Ronald Reagan State Building.

In addition, events are scheduled at most of the 10 campuses of the University of California, California State University's 23 campuses and many of the state's 112 community colleges. Many students are expected to walk out of class to protest the cutbacks.

Many of the demonstrations are being planned by campus faculty unions, but the actions, along with earlier advocacy efforts by students and faculty, have also drawn at least qualified support from some top administrators.

In a statement, Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reed said the university "supports the efforts of our students, faculty and staff to bring awareness about the importance of higher education in California. It is critical that legislators in Sacramento hear from businesses and the community about the 

As protests erupt Thursday, experts say California's higher education fee hikes actually help the poor - San Jose Mercury News

As protests erupt Thursday, experts say California's higher education fee hikes actually help the poor - San Jose Mercury News

Demonstrations will erupt across California today as students protest the soaring cost of education — but the fury overlooks the fact that fee increases actually help poorer students by providing more money for financial aid.

The state of California is no longer subsidizing every college student's education. Instead, students whose families earn at least $70,000 per year are footing more of the bill, making it possible for students whose families earn less to pay no tuition at all.

The new "high tuition, high aid" model represents a profound shift that has taken root as California universities make good on a promise to accommodate every qualified student — even as the state faces year after year of billion-dollar deficits. Many experts say that without new taxes, there's no going back to free school for everyone.

That's bad news for students whose families earn more than $70,000 per year and will pay up to 30 percent more in tuition this year compared with last. About one-third of recent fee increases at the schools in the University of California and California State University systems go toward expansion of aid programs. The rest of the fee increases go toward instruction and student services.

Striking students disagree with the analysis. "This argument is not supported empirically," said UC-Santa Cruz graduate student Erin Ellison. "Research shows that applications from students of color decrease when tuition goes up.

There is sticker shock, and they don't believe the promise of support. It is very limiting."

Fees at UC next year will top $11,000, while CSU's fees will be $4,827, the result of both systems raising fees 32 percent over one year. Increases in tax credits and Cal Grant programs will help some middle-income students with family incomes below $180,000, according to UC and CSU.

Canada College professor Robert Ovetz, who is helping organize local protests today, called it "a backdoor privatization of education as the state's share of its responsibility declines."

But Steve Boilard of the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office said fees are not the enemy. "They allow the 

Area students will protest higher education tuition hikes - washingtonpost.com

Area students will protest higher education tuition hikes - washingtonpost.com

Leaders of a California-born protest movement will try to spread their message across the nation Thursday, with student rallies, panel discussions and other events to express opposition to budget cuts and tuition hikes at public colleges and universities.

Organizers say they hope the events will dramatize the frustration that has been building as the recession forces deep cuts in higher education budgets, especially in California, where the fiscal situation is especially dire. Colleges there have raised tuition sharply, reduced enrollment and cut faculty pay.
Students in California have declared Thursday as a Day of Action to Defend Public Education. Rallies are planned for nearly every college and university campus in the state, in addition to several K-12 schools. Organizers said there would be events in 30 states.
"There are student activists all over the country who are looking to California as something to emulate," said Doug Singsen, 32, a graduate student at the City University of New York who has helped organize events outside of California. "We want this to be the beginning of a movement that gets stronger."

Central Falls superintendent agrees to resume negotiations

The superintendent who fired every teacher at Central Falls High School says she is willing to negotiate with the teachers' union, in an effort to prevent the mass firings.

Sacramento City Schools Will Vote On Cuts - KTXL

Sacramento City Schools Will Vote On Cuts - KTXL:

"SACRAMENTO - The Sacramento City Unified School District board will vote on Thursday night on millions of dollars in proposed budget cuts. The cuts include the lay offs of 435 teachers and other staff.

If the cuts are approved, they would go into effect next year.

Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond says the district is facing a nearly $31 Million gap in the 2010-11 budget.

The meeting is Thursday night at 6:30 at district headquarters: 5735 47th Ave."

CPR: Feature News Story | Sac City Unified School District Makes Changes to Open Enrollment

CPR: Feature News Story | Sac City Unified School District Makes Changes to Open Enrollment

By:  Steffi Broski

That’s why the district is reserving a bunch of seats at higher performing schools for kids from struggling schools. Officials say they opened the process up earlier this year than in previous years.

 

Superintendent Jonathan Raymond says letters used to be sent out in fall. He says the early notice will benefit students that want to switch schools.

 

Raymond: “We’re sending letters to those families now, saying: hey, you have a choice and an opportunity to have your child attend one of those other schools, let us know if you’re interested now.” 

 

Raymond says parents have until next Wednesday, March 10th, to inform the district of a school change. Officials sent the letters out late last week.

 

Raymond says in the future, the district wants to continue these changes...and maybe even expand them.

 

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools

GothamSchools - Breaking News and Analysis of the NYC Public Schools: "Testing, charters get boos at

Testing, charters get boos at Teach for America eduation panel

by Anna Phillips

When singer John Legend agreed to talk on a Teach for America panel about his views on education, he probably thought he’d get a warm reception. After all, he supports charter schools, a longer school day, and vigorous standardized testing, all policies championed by the education reform movement Teach for Americahelped fuel.

But things didn’t go his way last night.

One of six panelists at the event, “Men of Color and Education: A Discussion on the Pursuit of Excellence,” Legend met with more criticism and more boos than he’d bargained for. At first, the audience of mostly black and Latino teachers — most of them TFA members — praised Legend’s support for putting good teachers in front of high-need students, but the cheers soon turned to boos when he advocated for testing. (more…)

Funny or Die: SNL Presidential reunion - chicagotribune.com

Funny or Die: SNL Presidential reunion - chicagotribune.com

Funny or Die's Presidential Reunion from Will Ferrell

Schools Matter: Wake County in Crisis Due to Segregationist School Board Majority

Schools Matter: Wake County in Crisis Due to Segregationist School Board Majority

Wake County in Crisis Due to Segregationist School Board Majority

from Schools Matter by Jim Horn

The story, Wake County goes to hell, by Bob Geary at IndyWeek.com:

Del Burns' abrupt resignation as Wake County's superintendent of schools made things clear, if they weren't already: The county is in crisis. The Wake school system, lauded as among the best in the nation and an engine for the county's growth, is in mortal danger from the newly elected school board majority and its right-wing backers.
And just in case Wake's more centrist and progressive leaders on the board were thinking that Burns could hold the fort without them (and if that's not what they were thinking, why were they so quiet when all hell was breaking loose?), they were wrong. He couldn't. The new majority wasn't listening to anything he said. But they weren't firing him either.
No, the five in the majority, led by Board Chairman Ron Margiotta, were content to use Burns as a prop—a Potemkin frontman—in a power play disguised as a deliberative review, with his input, of school assignment policies.
That's what Burns meant when he resigned in protest Feb. 15 and said, in one of a series of interviews he gave two days later, "I will not allow myself to be a pawn in political gamesmanship." The new majority's policies, Burns warned, if allowed to take effect, would bal

A day to read aloud The Educated Guess

The Educated Guess

A day to read aloud

Posted in Uncategorized

Tomorrow, they march. Today, they read.
In honor of the 13th annual Read Across America event, thousands of retired teachers and California Teachers Association leaders joined classroom teachers in reading aloud from their favorite books to elementary students across the state. Many were reading from Dr. Seuss books, since today’s celebration of the art of reading aloud coincides with author Theordore Geisel’s birthday.
In Los Angeles, CTA Vice President Dean Vogel and noted L.A. chef Paul McCullough  read this  year’s featured book for state events,  “Armadilly Chili.” At my wife’s school in San Jose Unified, a half-dozen retired teachers shared books with kids. It was a great event.
Reading Dr. Seuss was a good prologue

RTTT finalists out Thursday - but not PA? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

RTTT finalists out Thursday - but not PA? | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

RTTT finalists out Thursday - but not PA?

by Dale Mezzacappa on Mar 03 2010

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Well, Thursday is the day that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will announce the ten finalists for the coveted Race to the Top pot of gold at 2:30 p.m. States will be notified several hours earlier. Five of these states soon will be chosen as the first round of awardees.

Handicapping by reporters and bloggers for Education Week who are covering the process closely have concluded that Pennsylvania, one of the 40 states that applied, did not make the cut. But there will be a second round of competition for what's left of the $3.5 billion pot later this year.

Their money is on Florida, Louisiana, Illinois, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Colorado, Indiana, and Minnesota.

Pennsylvania Department of Education spokesman Michael Race was not ready to throw in the towel.

"It’s all speculation," he said. "Until we hear an announcement from the Obama administration, nobody knows who will be a finalist or get the money." Philadelphia could benefit to the tune of more than $100 million if Pennsylvania wins.

Watch this space.