March 4th is before us! March 4th Strike and Day of Action

Greetings,

March 4^th is before us! This Thursday thousands of students, teachers, staff, parents and workers from all over California, the nation and the world will come together in a show of solidarity that will embody the will and strength of a people ready to take a stand against the attacks on public education and demand their right to a fully-funded, quality education and an end to the layoffs and re-segregation in public education and social services.

Throughout the state of California and beyond tens of thousands of people are organizing for the Strike and Day of Action on March 4^th indefense of public education. To get involved and participate in the struggle please join us in the events planned for March 4^th -- below is an updated list of events that will be happening on March 4^th in California. We welcome all to participate in this historic day!

Form San Diego to Eureka, from California to New York, from the Mexico to Brazil, from England to Germany, from Portugal to Greece, from Russia to Japan the March 4^th Strike and Day of Action will mark the moment when students, teachers, staff, parents and workers began turning the tide against the attacks on our right to education. March 4^th is just the beginning of this monumental movement.

We would like to thank our brothers and sisters from New York, Mexico, Brazil, England, Germany, Portugal, Greece, Russia, and Japan for their words and actions of solidarity.

The updated version of the March 4^th list of events and more information on March 4th Strike and Day of Action can be found athttp://defendcapubliceducation.wordpress.com/. If you have any questions about March 4^th, please email march4strikeanddayofaction@gmail.com.

See you all on March 4^th!

In Solidarity,

Follow-up committee of the October 24th Conference

 List of March 4^th Strike and Day of Action Events

 Regional Events

Los Angeles Regional Rally

• 3 pm Rally @ Pershing Square (5th & Hill) in downtown L.A.

• 4 pm March from Pershing Square to the Governor’s office

• 5 pm Rally @ Governor’s office (300 Spring St.)

 East Bay/Oakland Regional Rally

• 12 pm-4 pm Rally @ Frank Ogawa Plaza (in front of Oakland City Hall, 14^th & Broadway)

• March to the Ogawa Plaza Rally from:

-UC Berkeley: 12 pm Rally @ Bancroft & Telegraph, followed by March

-Laney College: 11 am Rally, followed by March

-Fruitvale BART: Assemble @ 11 am, March @ 11:30 am

• Travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing below)

 San Francisco Regional Rally

• 1:30 Rally @ San Francisco Civic Center

• 5 pm Rally @ San Francisco Civic Center

-San Francisco preK-12 educators & families

• 3 pm SF preK-12 educators & families and City College of San Francisco – Mission Campus march from 24th St. & Mission to Civic Center

• 3:30 pm SF preK-12 educators & families from northeast area schools meet at Van Ness & Broadway

• 3:45 pm March from Van Ness & Broadway to the State Building at Van Ness and McAllister

• 4:00 pm Rally with UESF at the State Building (505 Van Ness), march to Civic Center

-San Francisco Latino Students & Community

• 3 pm SF Latino Student & Community Rally @ 24th St. & Mission, then March to 16th St. for Rally, followed by March form 16th St. & Mission to Civic Center

 Sacramento/State Capitol Rally

• 11 am-1 pm Rally @ State Capitol (North Steps of Capitol)

 San Diego Regional Rally

• 3 pm Rally @ Balboa Park, followed by March to governor’s office

• 4 pm Rally @ Governor’s office (downtown)

 San Fernando Valley Regional Rally

• 3:45 pm gathering @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

• 4:15 pm March

• 5 pm Hands around CSUN

• 5:30 pm Rally @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

 Stockton Regional March

• 4:30 pm-6:00 pm Funeral Procession North on Pershing Ave., from Harding Way to San Joaquin Delta Community College campus

 Local Events

UC Berkeley

• 7 am-12 pm Pickets, all entrances of campus, California Hall

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally/Action @ entrance to Sproul Plaza (Telegraph & Bancroft)

• 1 pm-3 pm March from UC Berkeley to Oakland’s Ogawa Plaza

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 UCLA

• 6:30 am Student/Worker Pickets

• 11:30 am Walk Out

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally @ Bruin Plaza

• 1 pm-3 pm DJ, musical acts, hip-hop artists, student-led teach-ins, etc @ Bruin Plaza and Campus Wide

• 3 pm-4 pm Teach-in with various faculty members @ Bruin Plaza,

• 4:30 pm-5:30 pm Rally @ Bruin Plaza

(UCLA invites high schools and community colleges in the Westside area to join)

 UC San Diego

• 11:30 Walk-out & Rally @ Gilman Parking Structure

• 12:30 pm March from Gilman to the Silent Tree outside Giesel Library and Rally there

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Diego Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 UC Santa Cruz

• 6:00 am Picket at the entrances to campus

• 9:00 am Rally @ main entrance to the campus (Bay and High)

• 12:00 pm Rally @ main entrance to the campus (Bay and High)

• 5:00 pm General Assembly @ main entrance to campus (Bay and High)

UC Riverside

• 1 pm gathering @ UCR Bell Tower

• 2:30 pm March from UCR to downtown

• 3:30 pm Rally @ University Ave and Market St. (Downtown Riverside)

 UC Irvine

• 12:00 pm Rally @ Flagpole Area next to the Aldrich Administration Building

• 5:00 pm Discussion Panel, Location TBA

• 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm Community Rally @ Fairview Ave in front of Costa Mesa High School and Orange Coast College (Wear BLUE to show your support for quality education)

 UC Santa Barbara

• 11 am-2 pm Rally @ Storke Plaza, UCSB campus

• 4 pm Rally & March in downtown Santa Barbara (meeting at della Guerra Plaza)

 UC Davis

• 11:30 am Rally @ MU Patio (music performances, testimonio space and much more)

• 3 pm March (starts from MU Patio)

 CSU Bakersfield

• 11:30 am-1 pm @ the Student Union Patio (rain: Stockdale Room in Runner Café)

 CSU Channel Islands

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to the San Fernando Valley to participate in San Fernando Valley Regional Rally @ CSU Northridge (See regional listing above)

 CSU Chico

• 8 am sendoff for students, faculty, workers and campus community traveling to State Capital Rally (See regional listing above)

 CSU Dominguez Hills

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to Wilson High School Long Beach and Los Angeles Regional Rally (See Long Beach details below or regional listing above)

• 11 am-1 pm students hold a fair on CSUDH East Walkway (Games to learn about public education costs, access and quality)

 CSU East Bay

• 12 pm Rally/Open Mic/Speack Out @ Agora Stage

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 Fresno State

• 10:30 am March from NW corner of Blackstone and Shaw, go down Shaw to Fresno State

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally @ Peace Garden

 CSU Fullerton

• 12:00 pm Rally @ Humanities building, followed by March

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to Los Angeles Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 Humboldt State

• 3 pm-5 pm Rally @ Humboldt County Courthouse-Eureka with CSU and K-12 faculty and students

 Cal State Los Angeles

• 9:30 am Rally @ the USU area (Free Speech area)

• 2 pm March to Los Angeles Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 CSU Long Beach

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally @ South Campus, Upper Quad,

• 1 pm-2 pm Parade

• 4 pm Rally with K-12 and Community College @ Wilson High School Gymnasium (4400 E. 10th St.) - Music by Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman

California Maritime Academy

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally and Sacramento/State Capitol Rally (See regional listing above)

• 12 pm Street Theatre/Mock “Die-In” @ Maritime’s main quad

 CSU Monterey Bay

• 11 am-1 pm Rally/March

• Followed by car-pools to Community Rally

• 4 pm Community Rally @ Colton Hall (570 Pacific St. between Madison & Jefferson)

 CSU Northridge/San Fernando Valley Regional Rally

• 3:45 pm gather @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

• 4:15 pm March

• 5 pm Hands around CSUN

• 5:30 pm Rally @ CSU Northridge Sierra Quad

 Cal Poly Pomona

• 1:30 pm- 2:30 pm Send off Rally @ - as CFA members, students and campus community board buses for Los Angeles Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 Sacramento State/Sacramento/State Capitol Rally

• 11 am-1 pm Rally @ State Capitol (North Steps of Capitol)

 CSU San Bernardino

• 11:30 am March @ Marquee entrance (NW corner of University Pkwy and Northpark Blvd)

• 12 pm Rally @ Pfau Library

 San Diego State/San Diego Regional Rally

• 11:30 am-12:00 pm collect video testimonials from students and campus community next to Aztec Center (Large “scoreboard” showing the loss of students, teachers and classes at SDSU due to budget cuts)

• 12:00 pm Rally by Aztec Center

•  Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Diego Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 San Francisco State

• 7 am Pickets around campus building

• 10:00 am-12:15 pm Picket line @ 19th Avenue.

• 12:15 pm-12:30 pm Picket line march to Malcolm X Plaza

• 12:30pm-1:30 pm Political Theater & Spoken Word performed by SFSU talent addressing the budget cuts

• 1:30 pm-2:00 pm DIY Protest signs and T-shirt stenciling (bring a t-shirt, if you can)

• 2:00 pm-3:30 pm Teach-ins scheduled all over campus and the Malcolm X Plaza

• 3:30 pm-4:00 pm Board MUNI or shuttle to BART (Anyone boarding at 19th St. Muni with a March 4 t-shirt or protest sign will receive a pass for boarding)

• 4:00 pm meet @ Civic Center (steps of the Asian Art Museum) to travel to San Francisco Rally

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 San Jose State

• 11 am gather at San Jose City Hall

• 11:45 am March to San Jose State Tower Lawn (7th Street Plaza entrance)

• 12 pm Rally @ San Jose State Tower Lawn

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

• 3:30–5 pm Rally @ Office of state Senator Abel Maldonado (1356 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo)

 CSU San Marcos

• 10:30 am-11:30 am Teach-in on State Budget @ Academic Hall (ACD) 102 (simulcast to other classrooms)

• 12 pm-1 pm Rally @ Kellogg Library

 Sonoma State

• 11:30 am Student Walk-Out

• 12:00 pm-1:30 pm Rally near Stevenson Quad

 CSU Stanislaus

• 11:30 am-1pm Rally @ campus Quad

 City College of San Francisco – Main Campus

• 12pm Rally and events all day on campus

 City College of San Francisco – Mission Campus

• 2 pm Rally @ 22nd & Bartlett

• 2:30 March to 24th/Mission and meet SF preK-12 educators & families

• 3:00 March with SF preK-12 educators & families to Civic Center from 24th/Mission

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 Long Beach City College

• 12 pm-2 pm Rally in front of the T building on Carson Street

San Diego City College

• 11:30 am Walk-Out

• 1:30 pm Teach-Out/Rally in front of "B" building

• 2:45 pm March to Balboa Park to participate in the San Diego Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 Merced Community College

• All day workers & students wearing black

• Mock Graveyard on front campus lawn, tombstones representing classes/jobs lost due to state budged cuts

• 12:00 pm Rally @ campus quad

 San Joaquin Delta Community College

• 6:00 pm Candlelight Vigil at San Joaquin Delta Community College

 Diablo Valley College

• 12:00 pm Walk-Out

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to East Bay/Oakland Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 De Anza CC

• 12:00 pm Walk-Out

• Students, faculty, workers and campus community will travel to San Francisco Regional Rally (See regional listing above)

 Skyline College

• 10:00 am Walk-Out

 Cañada College

• 10:00 am Walk-Out

 Peninsula College

• 10:00 am Walk-Out

 Oakland Unified District (OEA)

• 7:30 am informational picketing in defense of public education and against cuts

• 9:15 a.m. District wide mock “Disaster Drill” (as in “California’s budget is a disaster!”)

(San Francisco, San Lorenzo, Dublin and other districts are holding mock drills.)

 Berkeley Elementary and Middle School

• Morning @ all elementary and middle schools in Berkeley, teachers and parents will be leafleting about the state budget crisis and the need for progressive taxation to restore the promise of our state

• 3:30 pm teachers, students, families, classified staff and administrators will be lining Martin Luther King Jr. Way from University Avenue to Bancroft Avenue (starting at 2134 MLK Jr. Way) to raise awareness in our community of the crisis in California.  Signs and leaflets will be provided. All are welcome.

 Long Beach: Wilson High School

• 4 pm Rally @ Wilson High School Gymnasium (4400 E. 10th St.)

• Music by Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman)

 Ocean High School

• Regular class will be suspended for the day (students will go off campus to collect signatures and distribute literature calling attention to the drastic cutbacks imposed on the state’s public education system)

• 8:45 am freshman class Human “SOS” (Save Our Schools) on the beach @ the Pacifica Pier

• 9:30 am Teach-in & Workshops on the crisis

 Original list compiled by Steve Seltzer

Modified by Jonathan Nunez and Juan Garcia

Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Mar. 4

Submitted by Erika Owens on Thu, 03/04/2010 - 09:58 Posted in Notes from the news | Permalink

Coming to grips with violence Daily News
Tonight there is a symposium at Drexel on school-age violence, which will include a panel with high school students talking about bullying.

Ronnie Polaneczky: I feel terrible about Webcamgate ... and terrible about why Daily News
Lower Merion spends over twice as much per student as Philly does, which allows it to send students home with the laptops that started all the trouble.

RttT finalists out Thursday - but not PA? The Notebook blog
States find out today if they may win some of the first round of grants, but some education bloggers think PA may not have made the cut.

Letters: Early schooling can help reduce crime in the city The Inquirer
Philly's DA wrote in to support early childhood ed.

Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.

Click here to get Notes from the news in your inbox every day.

Notes from the news

EducationNews.org - A Global Leading News Source

EducationNews.org - A Global Leading News Source

No-Child Law Is a Highlight of Hearing on Education3.4.10 - San Dillon - WASHINGTON - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is presiding over the rollout of the largest competitive grant program in his department's history, a vast expansion of the government's direct loan program for college students and sweeping new expenditures on failing schools, teacher quality and other big initiatives.
Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets
Critics of the teaching of evolution in the nation's classrooms are gaining ground in some states by linking the issue to global warming, arguing that dissenting...
Beyond pie charts: Are your school district's checks online?3.3.10 - Peyton Wolcott - What better way to introduce National Sunshine Week than with good news about the
Teacher firings ripple past Central Falls' border
Inside the front door to Central Falls High School, across the street from a boarded-up building, an archway is adorned with an unambiguous boast: "Through these halls pass the world's best... 
Students lobby lawmakers on higher-education funding
3.4.10 - "Our elected leaders are responsible for keeping tuition in Colorado low," said Andrew Bateman
more articles....

Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Education- Everything you need to know about the world of education.

R.I. district may rehire fired high school teachers

Obama had supported firings but triggered criticism from teachers

MORE ON EDUCATION

• Police investigating grade hacking
• Teachers want supportive leaders
• Plan for Hardy may be backfiring
• O'Malley backs tax help for pvt schools
• Video: KIPP founder Susan Schaeffler
• Obama comments anger teachers
• D.C. region slow on 'college readiness'
• Margaret Spellings defends NCLB

Yikes! A charter-friendly superintendent

[This is my column for the Local Living section of March 4, 2010.]

Zina McGowan-Thomas, the energetic public information officer for St. Mary's County public schools, sends me many announcements and news releases that I am tempted to delete, as I do most e-mails from local school districts. I know this is a bad idea, because sometimes you will find, in the smallest bulletin, something astonishing, like such as the e-mail she sent me a few weeks ago about the Chesapeake Public Charter School.

She told me and her long list of contacts that the school was about to have an open house. Ho-hum. All schools have open houses. Wait a minute: McGowan-Thomas works for a public school district with 27 schools and 17,000 students. Her job is to spread information about them, not a charter school. To most public school employees in the United States, charter schools are the enemy. Finding McGowan-Thomas promoting a charter school event is like seeing your local post office displaying a FedEx poster.

Continue reading this post »

Congress moves quickly to stop abuse at schools--NOT

Last spring, a U.S. government investigation found hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and deaths of children who were subjected to seclusion and restraints in public and private schools over the previous two decades.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office also revealed that there were no federal laws restricting the use of these disciplinary tactics, Such federal protections already exist for children in hospitals.

Some of the cases were egregious: A 7-year-old was believed to have died after being held face down for hours by school staff; 5-year-olds were allegedly tied to chairs with bungee cords and duct tape, suffering broken arms and bloody noses.

Continue reading this post »

This Week In Education

This Week In Education

News: Possible Compromise In Central Falls

by Alexander Russo

Rhode Island school nears compromise on mass teacher firings Nick Anderson WP:  The instructors have offered support for a longer school day, as well as more rigorous evaluations and training, among other steps.
Teacher firings ripple past Central Falls’ border Boston Globe:  Boarded-up tenements are common, the main park is marred by X-rated and other offensive graffiti, and many of the narrow, crowded streets in the state’s smallest and poorest city are riddled with potholes.
Union Victory in L.A. Schools Showdown Ups Ante LA Times:  After edging out charter operators in a high-profile contest to manage 30 schools, the teachers’ union is now under pressure to deliver.

Duncan Covers Familiar Territory in ESEA hearing Politics K12:  Not only were there no new specifics, there were very few new phrases from the secretary.
Click below for a few more headlines.
House approves bill to limit physical restraint of students Nick Anderson WP:   The House approved a bill Wednesday to limit the physical restraint and seclusion of students in schools, a response to an investigation last year that found numerous reports of students abused or killed through such disciplinary measures.

Teachers Feel Ignored In Education Debate NPR:  The survey "Primary Sources: America's Teachers on America's Schools" asked some 40,000 U.S. public school teachers for their opinions on testing, merit pay and other issues. The results show many teachers feel ignored in the debate over how to improve America's schools.
3 LA teachers removed over choice of black heroes Cristina Hoag AP:  Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers accused of giving children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade have been removed from their classrooms, a school district spokeswoman said Wednesday.
High School Cancels DMX's Church Fundraiser TMZ:  DMX's upcoming "gospel rap extravaganza" at an Arizona high school was just canceled three days before it was set to go off ... and it's all because the school just realized the arrest plagued rapper was involved.
First lady tours Miss. schools to tout health Shelia Byrd, Associated Press:  First lady Michelle Obama visited Jackson, Miss. Wednesday and watched children play on swings and a jungle gym at a school whose programs have been lauded for fighting obesity by keeping kids active.

Rise & Shine: In digital era, few schools still taking class pictures | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: In digital era, few schools still taking class pictures | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: In digital era, few schools still taking class pictures

by Philissa Cramer

• Even before the end of kindergarten registration, some popular schools are already full. (Daily News)
• The custodian at Thurgood Marshall Academy is accused of embezzling $30,000. (Daily News, Post)
• Budget watchdog Charles Brecher: NYC should “stop paying teachers who do not teach.” (Daily News)
• Page Six questions why the Times’ Diane Ravitch article didn’t mention her ex-husband, Richard. (Post)
• A handful of city public schools are among the holdouts who haven’t given up class pictures. (Times)
• New York is not likely to be among the first-round Race to the Top winners announced today. (Post)
• Chicago is making space at elite schools for top students from struggling schools. (Chicago Sun-Times)
• The Obama Administration appears to be starting with a blank slate in rewriting NCLB. (Times)
• The House approved a bill that would limit some forms of physical discipline in schools. (Times)
• A national survey found that students are reporting a big drop in bullying. (Wall Street Journal)
• Officials and teachers in Central Falls, R.I., have agreed to restart negotiations. (Providence Journal, AP)

Statewide Protests March Forward - The Daily Californian

Statewide Protests March Forward - The Daily Californian

Across the state of California, students, teachers, professors and unions will demonstrate today in order to convince lawmakers and the public to invest in public education.

In the past six months, UC Berkeley has been an important hub of activism against state divestment in the UC system, as well as public education in general. Today's statewide day of action marks the first time a statewide day of protest will incorporate people from across California in support of the broader cause of public education, from Kindergarten through doctoral program.

In addition to rallies at other university campuses, community colleges and cities throughout the state, the day's events include a rally on the steps of the state Capitol in Sacramento and a protest in front of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office in San Diego.

"(March 4) is the moment where everybody understands the importance of the idea of a public education," said Kevin Wehr, an assistant professor of sociology at Sacramento State University who has been helping to organize the rally in Sacramento. "We have gotten to the crisis point and people are finally paying attention."

The lack of a singular authority coordinating events has meant that various groups will be taking different approaches toward reaching their respective goals. But one area of agreement is the need to "defend" public education.

Involving the largest possible number of people in the day's 

Campus to restart streaming of instructional video content / UCLA Newsroom

Campus to restart streaming of instructional video content / UCLA Newsroom

Campus to restart streaming of instructional video content

By Phil Hampton March 03, 2010

UCLA is taking steps to restore the streaming of previously purchased instructional content behind password-protected course websites, a practice the campus believes is permitted under various provisions in the federal Copyright Act.

 

Campus officials temporarily suspended the practice in January as a good-faith gesture while UCLA attempted to resolve a copyright claim with a trade association. After carefully reviewing options and implications, UCLA has notified the Association for Information Media and Equipment (AIME) that it intends to restore the service.

 

"Course instruction long ago ceased to be bound by the walls of the classroom, and we are obligated to provide students with appropriate instructional content in whatever medium helps to foster an effective learning environment," said Jim Davis, UCLA vice provost for information technology and chief academic technology officer. "We're well aware the outcome of this dispute could affect other educational institutions, and it's important that UCLA take a leadership role and demonstrate just how critical the appropriate use of technology is to our educational mission."

 

Campus officials say the instructional uses in which UCLA engages are permitted under the fair-use limitation on the exclusive rights of a copyright owner. For example, UCLA's practices are consistent with landmark court rulings that allowed video recording of television programs for viewing at a later date (so-called "time-shifting") and the transfer of musical content from one device to another ("space-shifting").

 

The safe harbor of the TEACH Act, which permits transmissions of content for educational purposes, and the face-to-face exemption of the Copyright Act also support UCLA's uses.

 

Campus officials estimate that streamed content will return to course websites during the 2010 spring quarter. Faculty are first being asked to specify the educational purpose of making videos available as part of their instruction.

 

"While we believe our previous protocols were consistent with applicable laws, this modification provides an extra layer of assurance and transparency so that we can resume streaming videos as soon as possible rather than prolonging the impact 

Students Storm Sac | City on a Hill Press

Students Storm Sac | City on a Hill Press

“Are you fired up?”

Hundreds of demonstrators on the north steps of the Capitol building echoed a response to this galvanizing inquiry: “We’re fired up!”
As the 66th California State Assembly speaker was sworn into office on Monday, student protesters literally made their voices heard in the halls of the state Capitol.
“While we appointed a new assembly speaker we could hear you,” California Labor Federation secretary and treasurer Arch Palaski told City on a Hill Press in reference to the demonstrators. “Your voice is being heard.”
Monday, March 1 was Lobby Day at the Capitol, where chancellors and students advocated for higher education. This day kicked off a week of action in defense of public education, and was a precursor to a statewide strike on Thursday, March 4.
The March for Higher Education on Thursday is a “K through Ph.D.” action that will include University of California students as well as all members of the California education system.

UC President Mark Yudof and UC Santa Cruz Chancellor George Blumenthal accompanied student lobbyists to meetings with members of the legislature throughout the day.
Though Monday’s activities were focused on lobbying, student demonstrators rallied both inside and outside the Capitol. One demonstration, a sit-in at the office of Assemblyman Jim Neilson (R-Yuba City), resulted in the arrest of five UC students.
Second-year Gabi Kirk, one of three UCSC students among the five UC students arrested, described the scene as nonaggressive.
“The coolest thing for me was how beautifully calm and peaceful it was,” Kirk said. “Protests don’t need to be loud and in-your-face — sometimes they can involve students sitting in business suits in an office reading books.”
The five students were arrested for assembling without a permit, and were

Opinion: When “Done” is not enough

Opinion: When “Done” is not enough

The administration and faculty at the University of California San Diego began the year as they always do, looking inwards. This year, plans were begun to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the campus. Those plans have been diminished if not scuttled by this very public airing of what is its unfinished business.

The spontaneous protests led by African-American students this week demonstrates the presence of racial and class tensions present at all levels on the La Jolla campus that have been left unaddressed ever since the university’s founding.

The protests and subsequent demands were in response to two racially-charged incidents propagated by fellow students: one on campus and one off campus. A UCSD-authorized fraternity held what they were calling “Compton Cookout” in order to grotesquely stereotype African-Americans, especially women. This was followed by an equally distasteful program on student-run television.

Noose found hanging in UCSD library

A noose was then discovered hanging in the library, and soon afterward a statue in front of the library was found with a Ku Klux Klan hood affixed to it.

The sponsors and attendees at the recent “Compton Cookout” stirred a pot much deeper than the massive reservoir of ignorance and insensitivity they displayed by hosting such a despicable event. Their boorish behavior highlights the longstanding criticism leveled at college fraternity organizations as closed, myopic societies with a long history of exclusion and anti-social behavior.

The off-campus party sponsored by a fraternity at UCSD has been roundly and rightly criticized as hate speech that creates an unhealthy environment on a campus with the worst record for diversity in the entire UC system.

Given that record, it was not surprising that the media reported that Chancellor Marye Anne Fox replied to the non-negotiable student demands with the repeated verbal statement, “Done! Done! Done!” There was no evaluation of their complaints, no community discussion, no decision of what to do with the chief instigators of the “Compton Cookout,” and no faculty or staff evaluation of the feasibility of complying with such a wide-ranging set of demands.

No, the strategy was short-termed – get the embarrassing matter off the table as quickly as possible. Regrettably,

Read more: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2010-03-03/local-county-news/opinion-when-%E2%80%9Cdone%E2%80%9D-is-not-enough#ixzz0hDLB4jIm

Getting Ready to March Over Education Cuts - Bay Area Blog - NYTimes.com

Getting Ready to March Over Education Cuts - Bay Area Blog - NYTimes.com

Getting Ready to March Over Education Cuts

By ANNA BLOOM AND RACHEL GROSS

Anna BloomMorgan Bradley, 21, left, and Andy Johnston, 21, two fraternity brothers from Alpha Tau Omega stencil “Cal Greek” on the mural on wheels.

Ramon Quintero, a geography major at the University of California, Berkeley, hopes his 1979 Toyota mini-motor home becomes more than the place he slept in last semester to save rent money and more than just a mural on wheels.

Mr. Quintero has become somewhat well known on campus: He was arrested during Berkeley campus protests in December and the university found him affordable housing so he moved out of the vehicle. He wants his vehicle, dubbed “St. Rita,” in honor of the saint of impossible cases, to float down the streets of Sacramento, then Berkeley and finally Oakland on Thursday, sending a message of fellowship to the disparate groups around the state participating in the protest of cuts in state support for education.

Rallies and marches are planned for Thursday around the state. In the Bay Area, a march has been planned on Mission Street in San Francisco towards the Civic Center where a rally has been planned for 5 p.m. Another march along Telegraph Avenue from Berkeley to downtown Oakland begins at noon. There will also be rallies at Laney College, the Fruitvale BART station in Oakland and in Sacramento.

Organizing, at least at Berkeley, has had its own complications, including quarreling factions, last week’s violent riots as seen on YouTube and a recent history of unwieldy takeovers of campus buildings that have ended in arrests and wariness on the part of police and administrators at the University of California.

At the University of California, Santa Cruz and Laney College, one of four community colleges in the Peralta Community College District, organizers have gone to classes to give “pep talks” to students to encourage 

Students Prep For Day Of Action To Protest Cuts - News Story - KTVU San Francisco

Students Prep For Day Of Action To Protest Cuts - News Story - KTVU San Francisco

Students Prep For Day Of Action To Protest Cuts

CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Rallies, marches, walkouts and other actions are planned throughout the Bay Area and the state Thursday in response to cuts to public education, including a rally that could bring thousands of people to San Francisco's Civic Center.Posted: 10:37 pm PST March 3,2010Updated: 2:58 am PST March 4,2010

In the Bay Area, thousands of people are expected to attend events in San Francisco and at UC Berkeley with additional rallies scheduled in a half-dozen other cities.

Students at De Anza College in Cupertino have put up al "tent city" to protest the state budget cuts to education. The De Anza protest started Sunday and is set to culminate with hundreds of students boarding buses Thursday morning and heading to a larger protest in San Francisco.

"I won't be able to go to a UC here in California because they're raising the tuition 32 percent. I can't afford that, so I'll have to go out of state to go to college," said De Anza student Laura Bullock.

Another student, Kenny Li also expressed his frustration.

"California was ranked top 5 in the nation three decades ago. Now we're ranked bottom five in the nation," said Li.

That frustration is shared by many students, teachers and parents involved in public education. At San Francisco's Sheridan Elementary School, students were busy making signs for Thursday's events.

"We're hoping the public education system in California will help him and other children to excel to succeed," said San Francisco resident Neil Matsui, who has a son in kindergarten.

The uncertainty over funding of public education is a strong motivator for many who plan to take part in the day of action.

"We're shortchanging the students," said third grade teacher David Scott.

No-Child Law Is a Highlight of Hearing on Education - NYTimes.com

No-Child Law Is a Highlight of Hearing on Education - NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is presiding over the rollout of the largest competitive grant program in his department’s history, a vast expansion of the government’s direct loan program for college students and sweeping new expenditures on failing schools, teacher quality and other big initiatives.

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  Times Topic: No Child Left Behind Act

Everyone agrees it is a hugely ambitious agenda.

So it was not surprising that the first question Mr. Duncan faced from lawmakers on Wednesday in an appearance before Congress was whether the Obama administration would also would try this year to rewrite, or reauthorize, the main law on federal policy on public schools, No Child Left Behind.

“Every Monday or Tuesday when we come back to Congress, my colleagues come up and ask when we’re going to reauthorize, and between us, I don’t know if we have a complete answer yet,” said Representative George Miller, Democrat of California and chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “Our position is we would really like to get this done this session of Congress.”

Is that your position? Mr. Miller then asked Mr. Duncan.

The secretary replied: “That is absolutely the goal. There is so much we can do to fix the current law.”

But questions remain. Neither the administration nor anyone in Congress has made public any new draft bill, and the ranking Republican member on the committee, Representative John Kline of Minnesota, congratulated Mr. Duncan for working with Republicans and listening to their ideas before writing one.

“Starting with a blank piece of paper is absolutely the right process,” Mr. Kline said.

Still, any effort at reauthorization beginning with a blank slate would take many months, and experts say any successful overhaul this year must culminate in August, before midterm elections gobble up the Congressional schedule. Administration officials say,