Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Eight students from area gain $20,000 scholarships - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Eight students from area gain $20,000 scholarships

Published: Wednesday, Apr. 14, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 2B

Eight students from the Sacramento area each were awarded $20,000 scholarships from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.

The foundation named 300 students from across the country as Dell Scholars , selecting students from low-income households who had overcome significant obstacles.

To date, 86 students from the Sacramento area have received $1.72 million in scholarships from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.

Those students receive $20,000 to pursue higher education for six years, as well as a laptop, resources and mentoring to help them earn a college degree.

Locals receiving the scholarships were: Vongsri Vang of River City High in West Sacramento, Heather Van of Florin High, Javier Valenzuela of Encina Preparatory High School, Cindy Thao of Grant High School, Rosalva Ponce of River City, Luis Mendoza-Zamora of Encina Preparatory, Ewan Ho of Elk Grove High and Ranny Do of Pleasant Grove High School.

Also named Dell Scholars: Harmanpreet Chauhan of River Valley High in Yuba City, May Chen of Middle College High in Stockton, Chong Lor of Pleasant Valley High in Chico, Priyank Patel of

Local team to compete in robotics championship

Seven local middle school and high school students will compete in the World Championship for robotics beginning Thursday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
The students qualified for the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League after winning the Northern California championship in Newark in January.
The international event will host thousands of people, including middle and high school students. The local team – called Legonauts – consists of students from Sutter Middle School and Folsom and Mira Loma high schools.

Palin's controversial CSU Stanislaus date takes trashy turn

by lrosenhall@sacbee.com (Laurel Rosenhall)

California State University, Stanislaus, students Alicia Lewis, left, and Ashli Briggs move papers – intact and shredded, found in a campus trash bin – Tuesday in the Capitol. They say the papers include part of Sarah Palin's contract to speak at the school in June.

The controversy surrounding Sarah Palin's upcoming speech at CSU Stanislaus took a bizarre turn Tuesday when two students said they had found part of her confidential contract in a campus Dumpster.
By day's end, Attorney General Jerry Brown had vowed to expand his investigation of the nonprofit foundation that financially supports California State University, Stanislaus, looking into how the documents wound up in

Elk Grove teachers agree to two furlough days this year

by dlambert@sacbee.com (Diana Lambert)

The impasse between the Elk Grove Unified School District and its teachers union seems to have thawed – for now.
The Elk Grove Education Association has agreed to take two furlough days this school year, as have district administrators and the union that represents school psychologists and social workers.
In exchange, the area's largest school district will restore 29 counseling positions targeted for elimination next school year.
The district and teachers union, which also represents counselors, librarians and nurses, have been negotiating concessions since September.
The district announced an impasse in March.
But the agreement reached Friday isn't the end of it.
"This is just part one of our negotiations," said Elizabeth Graswich, district spokeswoman.

For Sacramento-area students, internships aren't just for summer anymore

“The Greatest Americans” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“The Greatest Americans”

by Larry Ferlazzo

The Discovery Channel, along with AOL, did a poll last year to determine who were the “greatest Americans” in history.
They created a website that profiles the top twenty-five in the poll, and they have fairly accessible biographies of each one.

“Jonathan Klein: Photos that changed the world”

Concerns & Questions About The “Talent Transfer Initiative”

by Larry Ferlazzo

The Sacramento City Unified School District is one of a number of districts in the country participating in a federally-funded program called The Talent Transfer Initiative. This program, which I just learned about, pays selected teachers a $20,000 bonus to transfer to a targeted “high-needs school.”
Though I’ve written about my general concerns about extrinsic motivation and financial rewards, that’s not my primary question. After all, teachers who work at high-needs schools have been able to get their student-loans forgiven (as mine were), but I suspect that isn’t a huge reason why people choose to work there.
And, to tell you the truth, I’m not overly concerned right now about how it will be used in our district. I think our Superintendent will try his best to avoid some of the potential dangers that drove me to write this post. However, I’m not so sure about how it will be applied in other districts (and will be very interested in hearing from others who might know more).
One issue is the criteria used to determine eligible teachers. It appears, and I may be wrong, that it’s primarily focused on test scores. I’m not convinced that test scores are the best way to judge teacher quality. On top of that, if some districts are going to use these test scores as the primary criteria, I wonder if they realize that just

Do You Understand My Students? � InterACT

Do You Understand My Students?

by David B. Cohen

In a recent post, I suggested that those who promulgate the use of state test results for teacher evaluation don’t really understand the job I’m supposed to do, and how little the tests relate to my teaching mandate as a California high school English teacher. Now let’s set aside that problem, and say, for the sake of argument, that the tests are still worthwhile – despite how little their content overlaps with the California Standards.

There are many more problems, beyond test quality. Do you, the test-loving policy pundits and accountability acolytes, understand my students? Do you have experience teaching high school English classes? Have you ever administered the tests, and watched the students taking the tests? Let me tell you a bit about some of these students (using some fictional names that might ring a bell for readers who recall advice about walking in someone else’s shoes).

Here’s Jean. Jean was reading before she started school, polished off the Harry Potter series by the end of first grade, and lives in a home that is the picture of stability and language enrichment. Now, there are some issues around the concept of “grade level” – but for the sake of argument, let’s assume it’s a valid notion. According to the tests, Jean was reading at a sixth-grade level in third grade, and beyond high school level by the end of eighth grade. Jean arrived in my class at the start of ninth grade. There is nothing I can teach Jean that will improve test scores, because Jean can already ace every state test coming in the next three years. Kids similar

Diversity issue discussed in L. Merion school case | Philadelphia Inquirer | 04/13/2010

Diversity issue discussed in L. Merion school case

By Bonnie L. Cook

Inquirer Staff Writer

Starting in May 2008, the Lower Merion School District held meetings to find out from citizens which principles should drive a new redistricting plan.
Those concerns included limiting students' time on school buses and maximizing the "walk zone" around one high school.
But one of those values - to "explore and cultivate" diversity in Lower Merion - was central to the work of consultant Ross Haber as he drew attendance zones for school officials to consider in 2008 and early 2009 as plans were made for the opening of two new high schools.
Taking the witness stand on the third day of a racial-bias trial in Philadelphia, Haber said the officials let it be known that values identified by the community should inform his thinking about any scenario, and it did.
"There never came a time when race was not a factor in the process, correct?" asked David G.C. Arnold, attorney for the families of nine African American children whose suit alleges they were singled out for mandatory busing to

Annette John-Hall: Sportsmanship, and its opposite

As a former basketball mom who was well-known for her, uh, overenthusiastic cheerleading, I know all too well how easy it is to get too wrapped up in your child's performance.

Discovery of Palin's contract in college dumpster leads to 'broad investigation' | California Watch

Discovery of Palin's contract in college dumpster leads to 'broad investigation'

by Lance Williams

Photo by Roger H. Goun

Lance Williams

The Turlock educators who allegedly ordered the shredding of public documents to conceal Sarah Palin’s speaking fee now are facing an “expanded inquiry” from the state attorney general’s office.
On Tuesday, hours after state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, presented him with the evidence – bags of shredded papers salvaged from a college dumpster by inquisitive students – Attorney General Jerry Brown ordered his charitable trusts section to begin a “broad investigation” into suspected financial improprieties at CSU Stanislaus.
Investigators will seek to learn whether the CSU Stanislaus Foundation, which booked Palin for a June fundraising event, “is spending its money to benefit the campus, as it promised donors, the university and the

Some colleges charge student demonstrators for protest damage

by Erica Perez

Flickr photo by stuartpilbrow

Erica Perez

Students in the UC and CSU systems have staged protests and occupied buildings on campus this year to rally against staggering fee increases. Those activities, in turn, have created thousands of dollars in costs for universities, from police overtime to, in some cases, repair fees for damaged property.
Some universities are covering the costs with campus funds, while a couple others have demanded small groups of students pay restitution for varying parts of the price tag.
UC Santa Cruz this week hit 36 students with fines of $944 each to cover the cost of cleaning up and repairing

Orange County budget cuts spark protest, possible strike

by Corey G. Johnson

Corey G. Johnson

The budget crisis has pushed the Capistrano Unified School District to the edge of a potential explosion.
An estimated 3,880 students didn't show up for school Tuesday in protest of a CUSD decision to impose a permanent 10 percent salary reduction on the district's 2,300 teachers. The elementary schools were the hardest hit by the self-described "sickout." Approximately 3,609 elementary school students, 77 middle school students and 194 high schoolers took part.
Then, late Tuesday, another 900 students, teachers and parents went to the district headquarters to further

News10.net | Sacramento, California | Education Home

Education News

Teacher of the Month April 2010 - Richard Nystrom

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Richard Nystrom made good on a promise to give back. He helps students with learning disabilities make the grade.

News10's 'State of Education: College' airs Wednesday

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News10's ongoing look at the state of education in California resumes this Wednesday with the

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AFL-CIO NOW BLOG | Retired Teacher Marches for California’s Schools and State’s Future

Retired Teacher Marches for California’s Schools and State’s Future

by Mike Hall, Apr 13, 2010

Gavin Riley taught in California’s public schools for 37 years. Today, the retired California Federation of Teachers member is in the 40th day of a 48-day, 250-mile March for California’s Future. Riley wants nothing less than to save the school system that educated him in the 1950s and 1960s, and where he in turn taught thousands more.

Sponsored by the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), AFSCME and a coalitionof labor, education and faith groups, the march is drawing attention to the state’s budget crisis and the devastating impact of budget cuts on Californians now and into the future.

At the California Progress Report, Riley writes that during the weeks he and the other marchers have been on the road from Bakersfield, through the San Joaquin Valley and then onto Sacramento,

[o]ur walk has allowed us to see ample evidence of the crisis: crumbling road and irrigation systems, high unemployment, foreclosed houses everywhere, overcrowded classrooms courtesy of teacher layoffs, people living under highway overpasses with few social services available, fallow farm fields and closed processing plants, to name just a few. About the only thing growing seems to be the number of new prisons in the Valley, an ironic epitome of the problem.

He recalls famous marches for justice in the 1960s, especially the 1966 march from Delano to Sacramento by César Chávez and the Farm Workers. Their march raised Californians’

Jim Miller: Funding California's Future

Jim Miller

English and Labor Studies instructor, San Diego City College

Posted: April 13, 2010 02:42 PM

Funding California's Future

As our March for California's Future makes its way closer to Sacramento the bottom line is this: we need to get serious and decide what kind of future we want for our children and our children's children. Do we want to spend more money on prisons than on schools? Do we want to sacrifice opportunity for the majority of Californians so those at the top of the economic ladder and some of the most powerful corporations do not have to make any sacrifices at all?

Consider the fact that the top one percent of earners in California has nearly doubled its share of income over the past twenty years from 13 percent to 25 percent. Ponder the reality that, despite the mantra of the anti-tax zealots, taxes are not higher now in California than they have ever been. In 1993, for instance, the highest marginal tax bracket in California was 11 percent while today it is only 9.3 percent. (There is a temporary 1 percent surcharge on people who make $1 million a year due to the budget deal of two years ago, but that expires this year). Restoring the top brackets to what they were in the 1990s would bring in $5 billion per year.

If we look at corporate taxes, a recent report by Forbes documented how many of the most powerful corporations in the United States pay no taxes. For example, General Electric made over $10 billion dollars last year and actually got over $1 billion back in Federal tax rebates. Many other big corporations pay no taxes while you and I are left to carry the load.

In California, corporations only contribute 11% of the state budget whereas, in 1980, they

California State University, Stanislaus Students present documents sparking AG investigation - News

California State University, Stanislaus Students present documents sparking AG investigation

Supposed Palin contract surfaces in dumpster on school furlough day

By: Erin Bowe, Inderjit Pahal, and Chris Dunne

Issue date: 4/14/10 Section: News

Page 1 of 3 next >

Two University students have sparked an investigation by the California Attorney General into the CSU Stanislaus Foundation's financials - all it took was a little dumpster diving.

Tuesday morning, students Alicia Lewis and Ashli Briggs came forward with documents - after the Foundation denied their existence - regarding Sarah Palin's speaking engagement at CSU Stanislaus, and responded to questions from both local and national news media.

While the documents in question do not specifically refer to Palin, it does demand "Round-trip, first class commercial air travel for two between Anchorage, Alaska and event city" and was issued by the Washington Speaker's Bureau an agency that, according to their website, exclusively

Turlock Journal - Attorney General to investigate CSU Stanislaus Foundation

Attorney General to investigate CSU Stanislaus Foundation
Shredded documents found in university Dumpster

Shortly after announcing that former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin would be speaking at CSU Stanislaus’ 50th Anniversary Gala, State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) started a campaign to release documents regarding her visit.
Photo contributed

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By Alex Cantatore
Civic Desk
acantatore@turlockjournal.com
209-634-9141, ext. 2005

POSTED April 14, 2010 midnight

Attorney General to investigate CSU Stanislaus Foundation
Shredded documents found in university Dumpster
BY ALEX CANTATORE
acantatore@turlockjournal.com
State Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced Tuesday that the non-profit California State University, Stanislaus Foundation will be investigated for allegedly dumping documents related to former vice-presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s upcoming fundraiser at the campus.
“This is not about Sarah Palin,” Brown said. “She has every right to speak at a university event, and schools should strive to bring to campus a broad range of speakers.
“The issues are public disclosure and financial accountability in organizations embedded in state-run universities. We’re not saying any allegation is true, but we owe it to the taxpayers to thoroughly check out every serious allegation.”
The investigation comes as the result of amateur sleuthing performed by CSU Stanislaus students Alicia Lewis, 26, and Ashli Briggs, 23, both Political Science majors, and about five of their friends.
According to Briggs, a friend phoned on Friday to inform her that “suspicious activity” was ongoing at the CSU Stanislaus Administration Building and that “administrators were destroying documents.” Briggs then called Lewis and five other friends to drive over to campus to investigate.
Upon arriving, Lewis said she saw numerous cars parked outside the Administration Building — despite the administration staff being furloughed on that day — and witnessed a student carrying a bag of garbage to a Dumpster. Lewis and Briggs examined the contents of the Dumpster and found shredded finance department documents dated March 28, mixed in with the unshredded pages 4

Teachers union trips up reform - Press-Telegram

Teachers union trips up reform

The Sacramento Bee

Posted: 04/13/2010 08:24:52 PM PDT

Education reformers entered the national Race to the Top grant competition enthused and hopeful that California would be among the winners.

Alas, the state wasn't among the finalists, and ranked 27th in the scoring among the 41 states that applied.

So now, reformers have swung the other direction, falling into discouragement and resignation - and questioning whether the state should even apply in the next round, with applications due in June.

Meanwhile, some of those who opposed the Race to the Top "four pillars" approach - high-quality standards and assessments, using data to improve instruction, measuring teacher and principal effectiveness and turning around the lowest-achieving schools - are gloating at California's failure. Among those are the teachers union.

There is little reason to gloat. California and much of the rest of the country confront a crisis of public education, so it is only appropriate the federal government creates financial incentives for reform. Race to the Top provides those incentives, with the right priorities. Rather than give up, reformers need to learn from the outcome of the application process, which proved useful in exposing the state's strengths and weaknesses.

On the plus side, California's application had strong support from the higher-education

Herdt: Charter schools: Are they always a salvation? � Ventura County Star

Herdt: Charter schools: Are they always a salvation?

It’s popular in political circles these days to speak of charter schools as the most important educational development since the advent of compulsory education.

Everybody loves charter schools. The Obama administration insists that if states want a piece of its Race to the Top education grants, they can place no limits on the number of charters they allow. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has become a national cheerleader for the movement.

In California, every candidate for governor advocates expansion of charter schools; as mayor of Oakland, Jerry Brown was instrumental in creating a couple, of which he is fiercely proud..

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a big fan. He’s stacked the state Board of Education with appointees who are unabashed advocates, including several who are directly involved in running or consulting with charters.

In a nod to Los Angeles’ burgeoning Parent Revolution, the Legislature earlier this year

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