voiceofsandiego.org | Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

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Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

If you can't get enough of the school board, you can find a play-by-play of their last meeting on my Twitter feed. Now for the newsblitz:

• San Diego Unified's finance chief will resign at the end of June, he informed the school board. We blog about the future of James Masias, who was put on paid leave a few weeks ago.

• City News Service reports that summer school will survive, despite earlier talk of cutting it in San Diego Unified.

• Also in our blog: We write that San Diego Unified says it won't chase state money for failing schools, but will make its own plans for the targeted schools, whether or not the state and feds like them.

• And there's another sign that the era of former Superintendent Terry Grier is over in San

Education Week American Education News Site of Record

Education Week American Education News Site of Record

Voucher Amendment Revived in Fla. Legislature

The proposal would repeal a ban on taxpayer financial aid to churches, sects, and other religious institutions similar to provisions in most state constitutions. (April 14, 2010, AP)

Storm Evacuees Gained in Texas Schools, Study Says

Students who stayed in Texas after Hurricane Katrina made steady improvements, a report says, though questions are raised on methodology. (April 14, 2010)

The Rubber Room Movie: Education's Once Dirty Little Secret Now In Spotlight On "Morning Joe" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

The Rubber Room Movie: Education's Once Dirty Little Secret Now In Spotlight On "Morning Joe" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Continue Their Education Coverage
With Interviews Of Producers Of "The Rubber Room" Movie

See Video of Interview & Movie Trailer Below


For those unfamiliar with Rubber Rooms, these are essentially buildings that are "holding tanks" for teachers charged with incompetency or other infractions. As specified by union contracts, New York spends millions per year on these rubber rooms with hundreds of teachers being "paid and held" months and even years until resolution.

The New Yorker did a controversial piece by Steven Brill here in 2009.

Link to The Rubber Room movie website with background info here.

Recovery Act Tax Savings Tool | The White House

Recovery Act Tax Savings Tool | The White House

Recovery Act Tax Savings Tool

The Recovery Act Tax Savings Tool helps Americans better understand the range of tax credits provided byAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). If you want to learn more about using the tool, watch thisvideo from Jared Bernstein, the Vice-President Biden's chief economic advisor.

About This Tool

The Recovery Act Tax Savings Tool is intended to help taxpayers determine their potential eligibility for various tax benefits available under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Taxpayers who use this tool are still responsible for determining their eligibility under applicable laws for any claimed tax benefits. The Recovery Act Tax Savings Tool and any output provided by it, are not, and may not be relied upon or cited as a ruling, written determination, legal precedent, or any other type of authority. Taxpayers who have questions regarding their eligibility for tax benefits under the Recovery Act should review the relevant IRS forms and instructions or contact a qualified tax professional.

Tax Savings Tool

During these tough economic times, Recovery Act tax cuts are making things a little easier for hard-hit middle class families.

Did you know that there are more than a dozen Recovery Act tax cuts working families can take advantage of this tax season? For some taxpayers, this could mean thousands of dollars in tax savings.

This tool is intended to be educational. Taxpayers should not rely on it for determinations about their eligibility for tax benefits, but should consult the relevant IRS forms and instructions or a qualified tax professional. The tool provides links to relevant irs.gov and other government resources to help taxpayers learn more about the benefits for which they may be eligible.

To make sure that you don’t miss out, this Tax Savings Tool will tally up the benefits you may be eligible for when you file your taxes this year.

Missouri Gov. Nixon plans to ignore Legislature, spread education cuts to all school districts | Markets | Market News | Canadian Business Online

Missouri Gov. Nixon plans to ignore Legislature, spread education cuts to all school districts | Markets | Market News | Canadian Business Online

Missouri Gov. Nixon plans to ignore Legislature, spread education cuts to all school districts

By Chris Blank

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Gov. Jay Nixon signed a midyear spending bill Tuesday but said he plans to ignore lawmakers' instructions to shield more than one-quarter of Missouri's public school districts from a budget cut.

Instead, all 523 school districts will share the pain of a $43 million shortfall in the basic state aid distributed to schools. The funding cut comes because of falling state revenue.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education initially planned to split the funding shortfall among every school district. Lawmakers attempted to reject that by inserting a provision in a supplemental budget bill that directs state education officials to spare about 150 school districts.

Nixon, a Democrat, said it was unconstitutional for lawmakers to do that in a budget bill. He ordered state education officials Tuesday to ignore the provision and follow their initial plan, which he said distributed money fairly and provided clarity and stability for schools.

"There is a long-held legal prohibition in Missouri against legislation by appropriation," Nixon spokesman Jack Cardetti said. "If the Legislature wants to change how money flows to schools, they should change the statutes. They cannot do that through an appropriation bill."

Some senators accused Nixon of overstepping his authority while some House members praised the move as providing schools with stability. The Missouri Republican Party's

NorthJersey.com: Governor overstepped

NorthJersey.com: Governor overstepped

The Record: Governor overstepped

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY APRIL 14, 2010, 9:15 AM

THE RECORD

1 Comment

THE SHOWDOWN between Governor Christie and the state teachers union is well known. Christie wants contract concessions in the form of wage freezes. The New Jersey Education Association isn't budging. Only one of 99 school districts in Bergen and Passaic counties has agreed to static wages. So far, it's been a stalemate.
On Monday, the governor attacked from another angle. He urged voters to vote down their school budgets on April 20 in communities in which teachers have not opted for a wage freeze, Staff Writer Patricia Alex reported.
Telling voters which way to vote is stepping over the line, even for a governor with a straight-shooter reputation. It is wrong for two reasons: First, voters have no say in teacher contracts. Those are crafted separately from school budgets. So voting down those budgets will only mean more cuts from the already lean offering.
Second, although we applaud Christie's call for teacher wage freezes, we do not like this tactic. Taxpayers, not the governor or any other elected state official, know what is best for their districts. They have the right and the responsibility to determine if a school budget reflects the educational needs and the financial constraints of their respective communities.
We are pleased that Education Commissioner Bret Schundler on Tuesday told a Senate budget committee he would not recommend that voters reject budgets.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie Whacks Teachers Union On "Morning Joe" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie Whacks Teachers Union On "Morning Joe" - THE DAILY RIFF - Be Smarter. About Education.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie Whacks Teachers Union On "Morning Joe"

by CJW

White Hot Controversy: NYT's Andrew Ross Sorkin, Washington Post's Gene Robinson, Mike Barnicle, Dee Dee Myers Join Joe Scarborough Take On "The 1 1/2 % Solution"
Continue Reading at The Daily Riff

Duncan Calls on Congress to Pass Edu-Jobs Aid - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Duncan Calls on Congress to Pass Edu-Jobs Aid - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Duncan Calls on Congress to Pass Edu-Jobs Aid

by Alyson Klein

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today officially called on Congress to pass a second round of funding to help states thwart layoffs and programmatic cuts.
This is a big deal because, up to now, the administration hadn't officially asked for more education jobs money, even though the House passed this bill last year. So far, the Senate has been the holdout. But Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations panel that oversees education funding, is set to introduce a bill that would provide $23 billion in education jobs aid. Duncan testified before Harkin's panel this morning.
I wondered yesterday whether Harkin would press Duncan to support his bill. But, as it turned out, Harkin didn't even need to ask. Duncan very clearly called for the new aid, right at the beginning of the hearing.
And, in talking to reporters after the hearing, he continued to stump for the concept.
"It is brutal out there," Duncan said. "It is really scary. We're seeing massive layoffs around the country." He said the fiscal problems are beginning to affect students, who worry that their favorite teachers will get laid off or

This Week In Education Thompson: TNTP's False Guarantee

This Week In Education

Thompson: TNTP's False Guarantee

by john thompson

The New Teacher Project complains that Delaware's tough new evaluation law does not "guarantee" that "demonstrably ineffective" teachers are fired in two years, even though a valid metric of student performance may never be possible. The TNTP consistently plays it cute when discussing its "effectiveness standard based

Eduflack: Building a Better Performance Assessment

Eduflack: Building a Better Performance Assessment

Building a Better Performance Assessment

by Eduflack

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education officially announced that $350 million designated under the Race to the Top program would be made available to several consortia to develop student assessments aligned with the common core standards states are expected to adopt later this year. The big question many of those watching the assessment discussions are now asking is how different will these next generation assessments be compared to the state tests that have governed the NCLB/AYP era.

Even before taking office, President Obama often expressed frustration and dismay with "bubble tests." A little over a year ago, as part of his education transformation agenda launch, the President stated: "I am calling on our nation's governors and state education chiefs to develop standards and assessments that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity."

So now that that $350 million is about to hit the streets, what exactly does moving beyond the bubbles on the test look like? That was one of the questions that the National Academy of Education and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) asked at a policy forum yesterday titled, "What Do We Know

Evidence that University Shredded Documents Showing Expenses for Sarah Palin Speech

Evidence that University Shredded Documents Showing Expenses for Sarah Palin Speech

Evidence that University Shredded Documents Showing Expenses for Sarah Palin Speech

Written by David GreenwaldWednesday, 14 April 2010 05:49

A controversy has arisen involving Sarah Palin's speech at CSU-Stanislaus and university efforts to avoid disclosure of documents showing how much money they spent to bring the controversial former Vice Presidential Candidate to their campus.

In an effort to get disclosure, Senator Leland Yee asked that the university disclose all documents related to the Sarah Palin event. CSU-Stanislaus responded that they had no documents related to that request.

However, two days after the Senator and Californians Aware were denied their request for public information, several students found in the dumpster documents including pages 4-12 of Sarah Palin's contract. According to the students, these documents which were intact were mixed in with other documents that apparently had been shredded on a furlough Friday by University Officials. As a result, Senator Yee has now referred the case to Attorney General Jerry Brown's office for investigation.

“The university’s claim of no documentation was inconceivable and now there is a smoking gun,” said Senator Yee last week. “What other documents and correspondence are they hiding? I am immediately requesting the Attorney General to investigate this violation of the public trust.”

On Tuesday, Senator Yee held a press conference at the state capitol along with two students who found the documents and Terry Francke, executive director of Californians Aware.

The Senator called this "a dark day" for the CSU-Stanislaus campus. "I never thought that I would have to re-live Watergate again," he said. "This is an issue of accountability and transparency. It is an issue that is very fundamental to our democracy."

Several weeks ago the Senator said they found out that Sarah Palin was going to visit the CSU-Stanislaus campus for the sole purpose of raising money for scholarships. He said that these were laudable goals. However, the Senator said that they wanted to know what the terms and conditions were of this speaking appearance. "The response that we got from the CSU Foundation was that it was none of your business."

As a result they put in a California Public Records Act request for information. "The response," the Senator said, "was that we don't have any info on that particular issue. CSU said that they had no information whatsoever."

However, on furlough Friday, the Senator heard from the two ladies in attendance, Ashli Briggs and Alicia Lewis that in fact not only were individuals around, but they were shredding and throwing away documents that the unversity claimed

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rhee lied about 'budget deficit' in order to fire hundreds of teachers

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Rhee lied about 'budget deficit' in order to fire hundreds of teachers

Rhee lied about budget deficit in order to fire hundreds of teachers

by Mike Klonsky

"Figures don't lie, but liars can figure."--Mark Twain

D.C. Supt. Michelle Rhee's leadership/management style, shaped in the boardrooms & classrooms of Eli Broad's Superintendent's Academy, reminds us of Enron's "smartest guys in the room" or Broad's own leadership at AIG.

In the blink of an eye, Rhee's budget deficit turns into a $34 million surplus. All this book-cooking so Rhee could

Larry Ferlazzo: Community Organizer Turned Teacher - Learning the Language - Education Week

Larry Ferlazzo: Community Organizer Turned Teacher - Learning the Language - Education Week

Larry Ferlazzo: Community Organizer Turned Teacher

By Mary Ann Zehr on April 14, 2010 9:50 AM | No Comments

What stands out about Larry Ferlazzo's new book, English Language Learners: Teaching Strategies that Work, from others that describe strategies to engage high school ELLs are his suggestions for how to encourage such students to be leaders.

I expect that special contribution comes out of Ferlazzo's 20 years of experience as a community organizer. Now with six years under his belt as a social studies and English teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, Calif., where many of his students are ELLs, Ferlazzo has lots of ideas to share about how to build leadership among students. (See a slide show with highlights of the book here.)

He writes, for example, that teachers should make explicit the qualities of a good learner or leader. Good learners, he says, have intrinsic motivation, self-confidence, and a willingness to take risks and learn from mistakes. He suggests that teachers have students choose one quality of a learner to work on in the next quarter of the school year, and hold a one-on-one conversation with each student about an action plan.

He suggests teaching a unit on leadership that also incorporates literacy activities. Students may draw from articles or folktales ideas about what makes a good leader. He describes a lesson in which students complete the phrase "I feel powerful when..."

Many of you are familiar with Ferlazzo's prolific tweeting and blogging on how toincorporate technology into lessons for ELLs and how to engage parents in school. This book gives a much deeper view of Ferlazzo's philosophy of how to connect with students and engage them.

Notes from the news, Apr. 14 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Apr. 14 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Apr. 14

by Erika Owens

District chooses 6 nonprofits as potential Renaissance school operators The Inquirer
All six were finalists in the preliminary process, and now School Advisory Councils at the nine Renaissance Schools will get to recommended managers from this pool, for final approval by the SRC in May.
See also: Six providers to vie for Renaissance schools The Notebook blog
6 finalists in running of Renaissance schools Daily News
Lista oficial de administradores para Escuelas Renacimiento Al Día
Philadelphia schools' service workers finalize new contract WHYY
The new contract for 3,000 of aides, bus drivers, and other support staff includes a pay raise.
See also: District support staff gets raise in new contract The Inquirer
Parents work to rejuvenate a public school The Inquirer
The parents are working to prepare Jackson Elementary in South Philly for their toddlers.
Correcting the Corrective Math problem, II The Notebook blog
Part two in the three part series details issues with the Corrective Math curriculum.
Philadelphia: Parent Organizations Seek Accountability in Schools Philadelphia Neighborhoods
Profile of the Parent Power group.
SRC to get earful today over $1 land transfer Daily News
Pact OKd for Wakisha Charter School teachers The Inquirer
Childs Elementary focuses on creating life long learners The Philadelphia Tribune
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
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Schools Matter: Rhee "Finds" $34 Million and Loses Last Cent of Credibility

Schools Matter: Rhee "Finds" $34 Million and Loses Last Cent of Credibility

Rhee "Finds" $34 Million and Loses Last Cent of Credibility

by Jim Horn

With her Walmart approved contract and its corporate underwriting becoming the albatross that could sink hers and Fenty's political futures, the Not Ready for Prime Time Players in Michelle Rhee's office suddenly announce the digging up in Februrary, no less, of 34 million extra dollars that can now go to reduce the Oligarchs' promised contribution to the tentative teacher contract--a planned contribution that has now shrunk from $65 million to $7 million. Miraculous, or as Councilman, Jim Graham, more aptly said yesterday "curiouser and curiouser."

It was only last Fall that Rhee suddenly misplaced $43 million, enough to warrant the firing of 266 teachers and 300 other school employees. Meanwhile, prostisuits Randi Weingarten and George Parker continue, unbelievably, to urge teachers to ratify the shell game contract that is not worth the paper that it is written on.

This Week In Education AM News: Lawmakers Question RTTT Funding Scheme

This Week In Education

AM News: Lawmakers Question RTTT Funding Scheme

by Alexander Russo

Obama's plan to reward schools for innovation sparks debate Washington Post: Most states will not receive a dime this year from the school reform fund. Some senior lawmakers say there's a limit to the value of competition at a time of enormous fiscal strain on schools... Union blasts city schools overhaul plan Boston Globe: The Boston Teachers Union started galvanizing opposition yesterday to parts of Superintendent Carol R. Johnson’s plan to overhaul 12 underperforming schools, after she called for teachers to work dozens of additional hours without extra pay... Pension funds for teachers are short billions USA Today: The multibillion-dollar pension funds that promise to pay lifetime benefits to millions of the USA's retired teachers are more than $900 billion ...NEA Plan for Rewriting NCLB Departs From Obama's EdWeek: The teachers' union says its blueprint for renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act offers a fresh approach to the law.

Thompson: Mind Your Own Business

by john thompson

Reformers assume that teachers should be held more accountable for increasing student performance, and that hypothesis may or may not be thrown on the junkpile of history. But wouldn't students be better served if administrators concentrated on administration? Shouldn't principals just focus on discipline and refereeing the the diverse personalities in the complex social organizations known as schools? Wouldn't it make more sense to evaluate people on what they actually do and for addressing the circumstances under their control?

Local News | Richland schools to warn parents of some books | Seattle Times Newspaper

Local News | Richland schools to warn parents of some books | Seattle Times Newspaper

Richland schools to warn parents of some books

The Richland School Board decided to require that English class descriptions provide a warning that certain books may contain ...

By The Associated Press

RICHLAND — The Richland School Board decided to require that English class descriptions provide a warning that certain books may contain profanity, sex or violence.

The decision Tuesday came after months of debate over how teachers should inform parents of potentially objectionable content.

The Tri-City Herald reports the debate was started by parents of a student at Hanford High School who objected to parts of the book "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," which tells the story of a boy whose father died in the 9-11 attacks.

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