Saving State U. � The Quick and the Ed

Saving State U. � The Quick and the Ed

Saving State U.

March 25th, 2010 | Category: Undergraduate Education

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It’s widely recognized that public colleges and universities are in trouble. With the exception of a few states, most higher education systems are facing substantial financial cuts, reductions in funding that will inevitably lead to higher tuition, fewer offerings and services, or likely some combination of these factors.

Part of the problem higher education faces is a breakdown of what Nancy Folbre, a professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, terms “The Big Deal.” Outlined in her new book, Saving State U., Folbre’s Big Deal is similar to existing philosophical notions of asocial contract, one component of which is providing inter-generational insurance—services or benefits given to others with the understanding that they will repay that debt at a later date or are being compensated for previous sacrifices. For example,

This Week In Education

This Week In Education

NCLB: Blueprint Commentary Cheat Sheet

Want to know what all the smartypants at National Journal are saying about the Duncan blueprint but don't have time to read through all their blather?  Me, neither.  But now you can check out this entirely unofficial but extremely handy dandy summary, which may or may not be entirely accurate but will save you a lot of time. Not that I can see that anyone's said anything particularly brilliant or new, or that there many people who's opinions you don't already know or can't easily predict.  As I and others have noted over the past week, the Duncan blueprint isn't particularly Hill-friendly, may not fully address the underlying issue of teacher salaries, may not measure schools any better than NCLB does, and seems increasingly unlikely to be considered and passed this year.  I guess that was pretty predictable, though. :-)

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March 25, 2010 | Posted At: 11:04 AM | Author: Alexander Russo | Category: NCLB News , On Maryland Avenue

Textbooks: Where's Arne When We Really Need Him?

Arne Duncan is everywhere -- in the health care bill, in the NCAA basketball tournament, etc. -- but notably AWOL on one of the most important education issues in the nation:  textbook adoption.  States like Texas are deciding the textbooks that get used nationwide for the next decade (Alarm over textbook changes) but not a word, not a proposal, not a peep from Obama's wonder boy.  Read here to get a sense of what it's like from the inside to write and write textbooks to go along with state demands -- a link Mike Smith kindly sent me from the Morning News.  How are schools supposed to get better if the materials they're using aren't any good?  What good are the promised high standards and better assessments going to be if the textbooks don't match them?  It's a messy issue, no doubt, and not a sexy or easily solved one, but a key part of the education puzzle and a missing element in Duncan's full-court education onslaught. 

Pasadena Weekly - Vote YES on Measure CC

Pasadena Weekly - Vote YES on Measure CC

Vote YES on Measure CC

Proposed parcel tax would ensure quality education in a time of financial uncertainty

By George Brumder 03/25/2010

The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) is facing the most devastating budget cuts in its history. School districts across California are bracing for massive state cuts to programs and staff, including teachers. PUSD will get $23 million less a year, starting July 1.

To avoid the most damaging cuts, a broad coalition of local citizens is now mobilizing public support for Measure CC — the PUSD parcel tax of a modest $10 a month or 33 cents a day — that will raise $7 million a year for five years only.

Without Measure CC, class sizes will increase, school libraries will be closed, many music and art programs will be eliminated, advanced courses in math and science will be reduced, and summer school will be cut back drastically or eliminated altogether.

An impressive array of respected organizations and individuals supports Measure CC, including the League of Women Voters, AARP, the Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors, the Pasadena Educational Foundation, the NAACP, United Teachers of Pasadena, the Pasadena and Sierra Madre city councils, the West Pasadena Residents’ Association, the Altadena Chamber of Commerce, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, the American Association of University Women, Armory Center for the Arts, the heads of many private schools, many local clergy and Republicans, Democrats and independents, and many others.

Not one credible organization or leader in our community opposes Measure CC.

Measure CC will not fix the entire budget problem on its own. Administrators, teachers, librarians, maintenance workers and other PUSD employees are taking pay cuts and unpaid furlough days. Superintendent Edwin Diaz is voluntarily taking a significant cut in

Morning Joe: Class participation: Audience Q&A

Morning Joe: Class participation: Audience Q&A

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MSNBC's Morning Joe brings debate on education to Tampa that doesn't feature many educators

MSNBC's Morning Joe brings debate on education to Tampa that doesn't feature many educators

MSNBC host Joe Scarboroughbrought an odd sight to Tampa this morning, taking over Alexander Elementary School for a three-hour talk on education issues for his A.M. show Morning Joe.

The biggest portion of his show, concluded just a few minutes ago, was an all-star panel convened to discuss education issues. And it didn't feature a single professional educator.

Instead, former Pensacola-area Congressman Scarborough talked with activist Al Sharpton, singer/advocate John Legend, Los Angeles Urban League headBlair Taylor, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and co-hostMike Barnicle.

What was most striking, in fact, was the lack of local voices on the broadcast. Area education notables, including the Hillsborough County schools superintendent, the Florida Teacher of the Year and the chair of Hillsborough County's school board sat in the audience's front row, little more than smiling props brought in to watch the discussion.

It was topsy turvy scene; while a selected audience of more than 200 educators looked on, Scarborough's panel talked in more detail about schools in Harlem and Los Angeles than Florida,

NCLB and Acronym Fatigue | Capitol News Connection

NCLB and Acronym Fatigue | Capitol News Connection

NCLB and Acronym Fatigue

Posted 24 March 2010 by Megan Hughes from Washington ,

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The past month, I've been covering how the DOE wants to reauthorize ESEA, and essentially do away with NCLB and the consequences for schools that fail to make AYP. This could change state tests across the country, from the MSA to the FCAT. Did you catch all of that?

Teachers often complain about "test fatigue." Well, as a reporter following around Arne Duncan and trying to explain the current state of standardized testing, I officially suffer from "acronym fatigue."

To give you that first bit in English: the Department of Education wants to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a law that was first enacted in 1965 as part of Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" package to fight poverty. The version of the act signed into law in 2002 under President George W. Bush is called "No Child Left Behind" (shortened to NCLB and pronounced nicklebee to education insiders.) It went into effect with bipartisan support and put in motion the practice of standardized testing that exists today. It also established the controversial benchmark of "Adequate Yearly Progress." Its reauthorization has been pending since 2007. Although it's been a lightning rod in the education community, it gets extended every year.

Schools Matter: New York Times Spins NAEP

Schools Matter: New York Times Spins NAEP

New York Times Spins NAEP

by Jim Horn

With an editorial board that remains epically stupid on K12 education matters, it is not surprising to see SamDillon's news story today on the new NAEP reading data that preserves the warm glow that the Times always casts on the test and punish corporate reform model for schools. In fact, the headline points away from the disastrous NAEP reading scores released yesterday to the more rosy picture presented in the '09 NAEP math scores.

The scores continue a 17-year trend of sluggish achievement in reading that contrasts with substantial gains in mathematics during roughly the same period.
“The nation has done a really good job improving math skills,” said Mark Schneider, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research and a former official at the Education Department, which oversees the test, known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

http://perezhilton.com/2010-03-24-awful-georgia-teen-allowed-to-bring-boyfriend-to-prom-kicked-out-by-parents

http://perezhilton.com/2010-03-24-awful-georgia-teen-allowed-to-bring-boyfriend-to-prom-kicked-out-by-parents

Awful. Georgia Teen Allowed To Bring Boyfriend To Prom Kicked Out By Parents.

Filed under: Gay Gay Gay > Inspiration > Sad Sad

This is so awful.

We were thrilled to learn yesterday that a Georgia High School had allowed a homosexual student, Derrick Martin, to bring his boyfriend to the Prom.

However, the poor kid's parents were reportedly so upset about the media attention regarding their son's homosexuality that they have kicked Derrick out of his house.

We have no idea how any parent could do something so unbelievably cruel to his or her own child, especially one who is brave enough to stand up for his rights.

Martin is currently staying with his friends, and is somehow keeping his chin up by focusing on his gratitude to those who have passed the teen words of praise and encouragement.

Read More: Awful. Georgia Teen Allowed To Bring Boyfriend To Prom Kicked Out By Parents. | PerezHilton.com http://perezhilton.com/2010-03-24-awful-georgia-teen-allowed-to-bring-boyfriend-to-prom-kicked-out-by-parents#ixzz0jCOaSLC0
Celebrity Juice, Not from Concentrate

The Illusion Of A Teachers' Union - Perdaily.com

The Illusion Of A Teachers' Union - Perdaily.com

The Illusion Of A Teachers' Union

by Leonard

Throughout my life I have always been a supporter of unions, although I have never been the member of a union that really looked out for its rank-and-file. As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, I was a member of the projectionists union, Local 150 of the IATSE, which had the distinction of turning down a cost of living increase. When I drove cab in New York, our union was headed by an electrician who had never driven a cab. And now as a teacher, I am a member of UTLA, which is headed by staff and administration that will never see the inside of a classroom again and whose president A.J. Duffy controls access to the UTLA newspaper, so that rank-and-file are unable to express their ideas.

After being subjected to a barrage of articles in the media trying to lay off failed public schools on teachers, NPR decided to have a debate on the following topic:Are Teachers' Unions to Blame for Failing Schools?

The problem I have with this topic stems from the false dichotomy that assumes teachers unions and public school districts are adversarial. It is my contention that if they were, most of the problems we now face in public education would not exist. Whether it is LAUSD and

More on School Advisory Councils Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Philadelphia Public School Notebook

More on School Advisory Councils

Submitted by Erika Owens on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 14:19 | Permalink

The Notebook website now has a central place for you to discussRenaissance Schools; we encourage you to join the dialogue.

Over the weekend there was a training for the members of the School Advisory Councils. The District has released the list of members of those councils.

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Notes from the news, Mar. 25

Submitted by Erika Owens on Thu, 03/25/2010 - 09:54 Posted in Notes from the news | Permalink

City schools panel adopts preliminary budget The Inquirer
The $2.4 billion lump-sum budget was adopted as the first step in the budget process. It does not include Race to the Top funds the District hopes to get.

See also: Phila. School District Plans Budget Amid BRT Troubles KYW

On-time graduation rates still look grim The Notebook blog
High school rates range from the high 90s to the 20s and the rate for the District overall is 56 percent.

How Google Might Save My School: An Update Philly Teacher blog
Philly Teacher started a Google Group to help organize teachers at her school, but the results have been frustrating.

Racially Divisive Press Mars Discussion of South Philadelphia High SchoolRacialicious
A look at some reasons for the lack of accurate national press attention on South Philly.

A Germantown Charter School Gets Recognized for Teacher ExcellenceKYW

Educator says school fired her for reporting abuse The Inquirer

War on teachers escalates The Inquirer (opinion)

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

UC Davis chancellor vows to make campus 'hate free' - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

UC Davis chancellor vows to make campus 'hate free' - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

UC Davis chancellor vows to make campus 'hate free'

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Buzz up!

By Laurel Rosenhall
lrosenhall@sacbee.com

Published: Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 2B

Chancellor Linda Katehi said Wednesday that she wants to make UC Davis a "hate-free campus" and announced a series of efforts to combat bias and intolerance.

Speaking to UC's governing Board of Regents in San Francisco, Katehi and two other UC chancellors described recent events that have rocked their campuses: swastikas and anti-gay graffiti at UC Davis; a noose, KKK symbols and a party mocking black history month at UC San Diego; and the arrest of students who disrupted a speech by an Israeli ambassador at UC Irvine.

Regents made no policy decisions but devoted more than three hours to discussing the events, allowing students to vent their hurt and campus administrators to present plans of action. Christopher Edley, dean of the Boalt Hall law school at UC Berkeley and a renowned expert on

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/25/2632090/uc-davis-chancellor-vows-to-make.html#ixzz0jCHGRpTF

Thompson: Turnarounds Need Trust This Week In Education

This Week In Education

Thompson: Turnarounds Need Trust

by john thompson

It's sad that Secretary Duncan misstates the facts regarding schools that turn themselves around while keeping the same kids in the same building.
It would be tragic if he did not adjust the ESEA Blueprint based on the facts of Organizing Schools for Improvement, the study from Chicago that lays out the importance of trust and effective professional development in fixing schools.
Had the Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCRS) just published its data on elementary reform efforts in 1992, they could have mistakenly concluded that improved schools faced the same socio-economic challenges as schools that stagnated, as well as perpetuate the misconception that leadership, teacher quality, and "expectations" or instructional "push" were the keys to improvement.
A two decade-long intensive focus on the schools that stagnated, however, showed that they had higher rates of poverty and racial isolation (often above 90% for both metrics), served neighborhoods with higher crime rates

Data details on worst schools due out The Educated Guess

The Educated Guess

Data details on worst schools due out

Posted in Turning around failing schools

Superintendents with schools on the state’s worst performing list and others have remained frustrated over the controversial selection process and the lack of transparency surrounding it.
Today or tomorrow at the latest, the state Department or Education is promising to post the data file that should shine more light on why the 188 schools were chosen for restructuring. (You should be able to find it here.)
(Read more and comment on this post)

By John Fensterwald on March 25th, 2010

Too many students forced to retake algebra

Posted in A to G Curriculum, Achievement Gap, STEM

California’s pursuit of algebra for all is becoming algebra forever for too many students.
A new study sponsored by the Noyce Foundation that looked into the dark art of math placement found that unexplainably large numbers of eighth grade Algebra students are being assigned to repeat Algebra in high school, to their detriment. At least half of these students end up doing worse in the course the second time around. A high proportion of the repeaters are non-Asian minority students, the data indicate.
The Noyce Foundation is due to release its Pathways Study later this month. The lead researchers presented the findings at the second of three forums on “Closing the Achievement Gap in Silicon Valley,” co-sponsored by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
(Read more and comment on this post)

Schools Matter: Points for Honesty

Schools Matter: Points for Honesty

Points for Honesty

From David Dunn, executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association (via TexasInsider):

Think of it this way, charter schools are the result of free

Does Glasser (Imagine) Play by the Rules?

Sam Glasser, the St. Louis real estate developer with a history making deals with Imagine Schools, is awfully up front about his desire for a piece of Pittsburgh property, Burgwin Elementary School. It's not garnering any respect from the district, and it's probably a pretty darn good indication that Mr. Glasser knows a good deal when he sees one. A 150k investment and the estimated

Texas and Textbooks: What Could Go Wrong? From the Dallas Morning News: A school board vote looms this week on which companies to use, and irregularities have surfaced, raising concerns among Dallas ISD educators, trustees and one major textbook company. Documents obtained by *The Dallas ...

The IRA is looking forward to doing some heavy lifting In a press release (March 22, 2010), the International Reading Association called for a three-step plan: " (1) rigorous goals for students' performance, (2) assessments to monitor students' progress toward these goals, and (3) professional development ...