Education | Tell us about your most inspirational or memorable teachers | Seattle Times Newspaper

Education | Tell us about your most inspirational or memorable teachers | Seattle Times Newspaper

Tell us about your most inspirational or memorable teachers

National Teacher Appreciation Week begins Monday, May 3, when students, families, schools and communities around the state and country are encouraged to honor teachers

While many of us may not remember what was taught in second grade, or what reading was required for middle school, many of us can easily remember the names of the teachers that made the biggest impression on us, good or bad.

National Teacher Appreciation Week begins Monday, May 3, when students, families, schools and communities around the state and country are encouraged to honor teachers, particularly on Tuesday, May 4, which is National Teacher Day.

In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, we're inviting readers to share about their most inspirational or memorable teachers.

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Schools Matter: New Charter Philosophy for the Corporate Celebrity: Let A Few Chain Gangs Flourish

Schools Matter: New Charter Philosophy for the Corporate Celebrity: Let A Few Chain Gangs Flourish

New Charter Philosophy for the Corporate Celebrity: Let A Few Chain Gangs Flourish

by Jim Horn

When charters first came on the scene, the idea was to let a thousand flowers bloom and let innovation reign. The best instructional and curricular ideas could then be spread to other schools, and children and parents and teachers would be the beneficiaries.

Those days are as long gone, and the only innovations that remain in the segregated urban chain gangs that the Secretary of Education advocates are the innovative extinguishing of due process for teachers and students, the innovative application of total compliance techniques, and the innovative bookkeeping that makes the corporate leeches who run these outfits wealthy.

It has taken the New York Times 10 months to report on the CREDO charter study that shows the bankruptcy of the national policy obsession with these undemocratic containment camps, but the facts are not enough to

NY Parents Crazed to Land Gifted Kindergarten Seats

by Jim Horn

If you thought high-stakes tests were just for keeping poor high schoolers from graduating or to guarantee failure at an early age for the children of the poor, then think again. In New York City where the Bankster heist has increased the number of parents who can no longer afford the private kindergartens, competition is cut-throat to earn a seat in one of the high flying gifted public kindergarten programs. And parents who can afford it are hiring tutors to grill babies in strategies for passing the tests to get in--to kindergarten. Meanwhile, the poorer "gifted"

E3 Urges Christie to Deny Diplomas to Thousands of Jersey Teens

by Jim Horn

Stan Karp dissects the lies and distortions of New Jersey's corporate voucher advocacy group, E3. Don't be surprised to hear Governor Christie and his not ready for prime time ed department geniuses spouting some E3's talking points:

‘Big Lies’ and Little Ones: E3 Urges NJDOE to Deny Diplomas to Thousands

On April 28, the pro-voucher group E3 released a statement on the fiasco created by the NJ Department of Education’s mishandling of the new Alternative High School Assessment (AHSA). The press release

EETT, where art thou? | Reflections on Teaching

EETT, where art thou? | Reflections on Teaching

EETT, where art thou?

by alicemercer

Background: On Thursday, the California State Senate Budget Subcommittee #1 on Education held a hearing that discussed the EETT ARRA money the state has received, but not spent. This was not an “action” item, but simply held for informational purposes. It’s a pain to view the hearing because there is NO fast forward and the part about EETT is about 1 hour in, but the testimony was good. The plan at this point is to abandon both the distribution of formula money and the competitive grant process that was carried out in Fall of 2009, and replace it with a competitive grant process for districts to create/improve Pre-K data and another program for High Schools to collect data related to college and work readiness by adding SAT and AP scores. Then all this data would be massed together into a statewide longitudinal data system. The required 25% of funds for teacher professional development would be used for training teachers on how to use this longitudinal to inform and adjust their instructional delivery to students.
I’ll write below why this is a really bad idea. Those of you who have already figured that out, emails or letters to

Education - Elementary students wax poetic in published book | Sacramento Bee

Education - Elementary students wax poetic in published book| Sacramento Bee

Elementary students wax poetic in published book

Published: 12:00 am

Seven students at North Avenue Elementary in Del Paso Heights will become published authors after their poems were selected to appear in the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans.

Sacramento, Elk Grove school workers' benefits rank high

By Diana Lambert and Phillip Reese - Published: 12:00 am

Sacramento City Unified spends more money on employee benefits on a per-pupil basis than any other district its size in California, according to a Bee analysis of recently released state figures.

History of CSU system is topic of book, speech

Published: 12:00 am

Former Sacramento State President Donald R. Gerth is speaking Tuesday about his new book on the history of the California State University system.

Workshops aim to help students bound for college

Published: 12:00 am

Two free workshops for college-bound students will be presented at Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave., Sacramento.

Candidates forum planned today at Broadway church

By Melody Gutierrez - Published: 9:23 am

The Black Parallel School Board will host a candidates forum at 11 a.m. today at Oak Park United Methodist Church, 3600 Broadway.

Volunteers sought today for Highlands High beautification

By Melody Gutierrez - Updated: 9:17 am

Volunteers are being sought to help Highlands High School receive a community makeover from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today.

Critics: Art-exhibit plan 'egregious' while budget cuts imperil Sacramento County kids

By Marjie Lundstrom - Published: Saturday, May 1 2010 - 12:00 am

A proposal to spend more than $500,000 in public money on art exhibits for children is being condemned by some Sacramento leaders and child advocates, who consider the plan an outrage while life-and-death social services programs falter.

San Juan keeps 23-1 ratio of pupils to teacher in K-3

Published: Saturday, May 1 2010 - 12:00 am

San Juan Unified School District will preserve class sizes at 23 students to one teacher in kindergarten through third grades for the next school year.

California to apply for education funds through Race to the Top

By Laurel Rosenhall - Published: Friday, April 30 2010 - 9:48 am

California will once again try to get federal education money through the so-called "Race to the Top" competition among states, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced this morning.

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/education/#ixzz0mmPjj7DG

The Crash and Burn Model � InterACT

The Crash and Burn Model � InterACT

The Crash and Burn Model

by Martha Infante

As a new teacher adviser, I have been fortunate to come across some of the most productive and committed teachers in my 15 year career, many from the Teach for America program (TFA). In their stints at our school, all varying in length from 1-5 years so far, I have been impressed with their drive and motivation to improving students’ learning.
But at times, they have worried me. They would show up at new teacher support meetings with bags under their eyes, from their 12 hour workdays, staying up late to lesson plan when they got home, and coming back to work early to do it all over again. Had they been on a traditional career track, I would have advised them against such a strenuous schedule; they do the students or themselves no favors if they burn themselves out. But these teachers were not necessarily going to be career teachers. There was a good chance they would leave after two years. Knowing this, I tried to monitor their mental and physical health like a mother hen, and let them proceed with their plans (with careful oversight.)
I appreciated the difference between a TFA teacher and a regular long-term substitute, the latter which my students used to get regularly before TFA’ers became available. Teacher turnover in urban schools is still an issue. Like the Peace Corp, these teachers are sent to schools like mine to serve the community, and in many cases, they are making a difference. But in the era of education reform, many are pointing to an endless

Big crowd likely at Phila. teacher-hiring fair | Philadelphia Inquirer | 05/01/2010

Big crowd likely at Phila. teacher-hiring fair | Philadelphia Inquirer | 05/01/2010

Big crowd likely at Phila. teacher-hiring fair

By Kristen A. Graham

Inquirer Staff Writer

Philadelphia School District officials expect a heavy turnout at a Saturday teacher-recruitment fair.
About 1,200 people turned up for a similar event earlier this month, and Estelle Matthews, district human resources chief, said she expected a large crowd.
The fair is to run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the district headquarters, 440 N. Broad St.
"I think it's the economy," said Matthews. "I think it's New Jersey. We see a lot of career-changers, too." Many New Jersey schools are laying off teachers and bracing for big cuts to district budgets. Philadelphia, where turnover is high, typically hires hundreds of new teachers every year. Matthews said she had already seen a spike in New Jersey applicants.
She said she did not know how many jobs needed to be filled or which content areas were considered especially needy. The district's Renaissance school initiative - radical turnarounds in the 14 lowest-performing city schools - slowed down the hiring timeline this year, she said.

Rutgers-Camden chancellor making his mark

The plan, he thought, was to use the Philadelphia pedigree, the Ivy League credentials, the congressional office experience, the polished persona - and run for office in Philadelphia.

Remarks by the President at University of Michigan Spring Commencement | The White House

Remarks by the President at University of Michigan Spring Commencement | The White House

Remarks by the President at University of Michigan Spring Commencement

by The White House

11:40 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. Please be seated.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!
THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Laughter.)
It is great to be here in the Big House -- (applause) -- and so may I say, “Go Blue!” (Applause.) I thought I’d go for the cheap applause line to start things off. (Laughter.)
Good afternoon, President Coleman, the Board of Trustees, to faculty, parents, family and friends of the class of 2010. (Applause.) Congratulations on your graduation, and thank you for allowing me the honor of being a part of it. (Applause.) Let me acknowledge your wonderful governor, Jennifer Granholm; your mayor, John Hieftje; and all the members of Congress who are here today. (Applause.)

It is a privilege to be with you on this happy occasion, and, you know, it’s nice to spend a little time outside of Washington. (Laughter.) Now, don’t get me wrong -– Washington is a beautiful city. It’s very nice living above the store; you can’t beat the commute. (Laughter.) It’s just sometimes all you hear in Washington is the clamor of politics. And all that noise can drown out the voices of the people who sent you there. So when I took office, I decided that each night I would read 10 letters out of the tens of thousands that are sent to us by ordinary Americans every day –- this is my modest effort to remind myself of why I ran in the first place.
Some of these letters tell stories of heartache and struggle. Some express gratitude, some express anger. I'd say a good solid third call me an idiot -- (laughter) -- which is how I know that I’m getting a good, representative sample. (Laughter and applause.) Some of the letters make you think -- like the one that I received last month from a kindergarten class in Virginia.
Now, the teacher of this class instructed the students to ask me any question they wanted. So one asked, “How do you do your job?” Another asked, “Do you work a lot?” (Laughter.) Somebody wanted to know if I wear a black jacket or if I have a beard –- (laughter) -- so clearly they were getting me mixed up with the other tall guy from Illinois. (Laughter.) And one of my favorites was from a kid who wanted to know if I lived next to a volcano. (Laughter.) I'm still trying to piece the thought process on this one. (Laughter.) Loved this letter.
But it was the last question from the last student in the letter that gave me pause. The student asked, “Are people being nice?” Are people being nice?
Well, if you turn on the news today, or yesterday, or a week ago, or a month ago –- particularly one of the cable channels -– (laughter) -- you can see why even a kindergartener would ask this question. (Laughter.) We’ve got politicians calling each other all sorts of unflattering names. Pundits and talking heads shout at each other. The media tends to play up every hint of conflict, because it makes for a sexier story -– which means anyone interested in getting coverage feels compelled to make their arguments as outrageous and as incendiary as

Sweathogs, Heathers & Mean Girls | Lefty Parent

Sweathogs, Heathers & Mean Girls | Lefty Parent

Sweathogs, Heathers & Mean Girls

by Cooper Zale

Conventional patriarchal wisdom does not necessarily think about young women who are coming of age developing a “thick skin” to help them navigate the slings and arrows of life. Women are supposed instead to be soft, receptive and relational rather than “tough bitches”. But our daughter Emma learned to toughen up to survive a gauntlet of challenging female classmates, and that thicker skin facilitated her overcoming her shyness. Her experience recalled for me the cliques of girls in the movies “Mean Girls” and “Heathers”, and the very tough class of students known as the “Sweathogs” in the “Welcome Back Kotter” situation comedy of the late 1970s. When I discussed it with Emma recently, she said it was definitely

i3 News: Much Ado About Nothing... And Yet Still Cause for Concern :: Frederick M. Hess

i3 News: Much Ado About Nothing... And Yet Still Cause for Concern :: Frederick M. Hess

Frederick M. Hess's Blog

i3 News: Much Ado About Nothing... And Yet Still Cause for Concern

by Frederick M. Hess • Apr 30, 2010 at 9:53 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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I can't decide whether yesterday's U.S. Department of Education press release on the new "partnership"between twelve foundations and ED's i3 effort is just a painful example of vapid triumphalism or whether it actually sends a worrisome signal. I'm mostly inclined to think it's much ado about nothing. After all, as Ed Week's intrepid Michele McNeil pointed out yesterday, "The new, collaborative effort is not a pooled fund of grants; each foundation will retain control over its contribution...nor is the initiative announced by the U.S. Department of Education April 29 a commitment of additional funding...The $506 million represents the total amount of money they had planned to spend this year on what they consider education innovation."

In other words, it's not new money and the various foundations are retaining full control over the funds they are giving. Instead, the only real developments are that the foundations are signaling their fealty to i3 and

Two school, college bonding measures on Oregon's May primary ballot | Oregonlive.com

Two school, college bonding measures on Oregon's May primary ballot | Oregonlive.com

Two school, college bonding measures on Oregon's May primary ballot

By Bill Graves, The Oregonian

May 01, 2010, 10:00AM

Oregonians will vote in the May 18 primary election on two measures to expand and clarify the bonding authority of public schools, community colleges and universities seeking to buy, build or improve facilities.

Measure 68 would add a new article to the Constitution, permitting the state to raise matching money through general obligation bonds for local school district projects, much as it does now for community college and university construction.

A significant hitch, however, is the state has no matching money. And it probably won't through the 2011-13 biennium, said Rep. Peter Buckley, D-Ashland, co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Committee.

The state will put money into a matching fund created by the measure, Buckley said, when "the state is back on firm financial footing."

A second proposal, Measure 69, amends the state Constitution to make it clear colleges and universities can use general obligation bonds to buy buildings as well as build them.

A strong bipartisan majority of the Legislature referred both measures, which have drawn broad support from education groups, including the Oregon Education Association and Oregon School Board Association. Neither measure faces organized opposition.

Measure 68 would allow the state to match money raised by local districts through voter-approved bonds for school capital projects. The Legislature would still need to define details for the change, such as how much of a match the state would offer.

The measure broadens the definition of capital costs to include furnishings, equipment, maintenance and repair, which cannot now be purchased with

A “Must-Read” For Anybody Interested In Parent Engagement In Schools | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

A “Must-Read” For Anybody Interested In Parent Engagement In Schools | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

A “Must-Read” For Anybody Interested In Parent Engagement In Schools

by Larry Ferlazzo

A “Must-Read” For Anybody Interested In Parent Engagement In Schools is the title of the latest post in my other blog, Engaging Parents In School.
If you’re interested in engaging parents, it’s worth a visit.

Candidates forum planned today at Broadway church - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Candidates forum planned today at Broadway church - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Candidates forum planned today at Broadway church

by mgutierrez@sacbee.com (Melody Gutierrez)

The Black Parallel School Board will host a candidates forum at 11 a.m. today at Oak Park United Methodist Church, 3600 Broadway.
The Black Parallel School Board is a community organization that advocates for African American students in the Sacramento City Unified School District.
The candidates forum is designed to spark interest in upcoming elections as well as inform the community about ballot measures and candidates.
Representatives of the various campaigns, including the City Council and the Assembly District 9, have confirmed they will participate.
For more information, call (916) 484-3729 or e-mail info@blackparallelschoolboard.com.

Sacramento City Teachers Association. SCTA. Sacramento Teachers.

Sacramento City Teachers Association. SCTA. Sacramento Teachers.:

April 29, 2010

Lay Off Hearings Completed: The hearings were completed this week. At this point we do not have any clarity as to the final lay off orders from the Law Judge or District. During the hearings, a number of teachers had their lay offs rescinded. The hearings did reveal more clearly that the District issued lay offs to SCTA classroom teachers in order to accommodate about 55 administrators and another 45 Resource teachers who are paid by categorical funds. The District developed a bump list that assigned a number of administrators into classrooms. In addition, the hearings revealed that the District deliberately over noticed teachers in a number of areas to make room for administrators or simply because the District was not sure of its final actions… Read More»

Nation's education chief visits Houston | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Nation's education chief visits Houston | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Nation's education chief visits Houston

Duncan gets message on local control of schools

By ERICKA MELLON
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

April 30, 2010, 10:43PM

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan echoed a familiar theme Friday during a whirlwind tour of Houston: Good teachers deserve rewards, while ineffective ones should be removed from the classroom.

Duncan did not specifically endorse the Houston Independent School District's efforts to pay bonuses to top teachers and to fire weak ones, but his comments sound similar to those of HISD Superintendent Terry Grier and the school board.

“What we want to do is do everything we can to shine a spotlight on great teachers,” Duncan said. “When you have a small percentage of teachers at the bottom, where after help and mentoring and support are simply not working for children, we need to have those honest conversations (about exiting the profession).”

The Houston school board in February became among the first in the nation to take an aggressive approach to ousting weak teachers, with a policy that allows the firing of those whose students consistently score below expectations on standardized tests.

Duncan, the first education secretary since 2001 who isn't from Texas, played nice in the Lone Star State, declining to criticizeRepublican Gov. Rick Perry, who has accused President Barack Obama's administration of pushing a federal takeover of public schools. Texas and Alaska were the only two states not to join a recent initiative to develop common curriculum standards — an idea Duncan supports and Perry rejects.

Asked if he was worried about Texas going at the standards movement alone, Duncan said, “Whether it's states working together, whether it's a state working by itself, the key to me is that every child has access to college and career standards.”

‘This is amazing to see'

Though Duncan didn't make it to Austin — he spent most of the day in Houston — he still got the message that local control over schools, even under-performing ones, is important to many Texans.

“We believe in local decision-making when it comes to turning those schools around and to getting them back on track,” Priscilla Ridgway, an assistant superintendent in Aldine ISD, told Duncan during a panel discussion that included North

Filmmaker takes aim at ‘Cartel’ of education - Malden, Massachusetts - Malden Observer

Filmmaker takes aim at ‘Cartel’ of education - Malden, Massachusetts - Malden Observer

Filmmaker takes aim at ‘Cartel’ of education

By Dana Barbuto

GateHouse News Service

Posted Apr 30, 2010 @ 01:41 PM

Journalist-turned-documentarian Bob Bowdon saw something very wrong with the New Jersey public education system. More than $400,000 of public money was earmarked for each classroom, yet an alarming rate of students were not proficient in reading or math.

Once he dug deeper, Bowdon found a flawed system that embraced cronyism, squandered money and frowned upon alternative education options such as charter schools. Bowdon spent three years pointing his camera at New Jersey administrators, teachers, unions, students and parents and the result is the documentary “The Cartel,” opening at Kendall Square in Cambridge today. The film focuses on his home state of New Jersey, but Bowdon assures it is a case study likely evident across the country. As the film points out, in 12 percent of U.S. schools, less than 60 percent of freshmen make it to senior year.

Q: Did you ever think you’d be a documentary filmmaker?

A: Well, it wasn’t some sort of lifelong dream. I got a film certificate from New York University, but it really wasn’t to become a filmmaker. This issue wasn’t well covered by traditional media. Education is an emerging national disaster and that story needed long-form treatment.