Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Education Secretary Steps Into a Minefield in Brooklyn Education News - The New York Times

Education News - The New York Times

Adam Wheeler, 23, consulted his lawyer, Steven Sussman, during his arraignment on Tuesday in Woburn, Mass.
Josh Reynolds/Associated Press
Adam Wheeler, 23, consulted his lawyer, Steven Sussman, during his arraignment on Tuesday in Woburn, Mass.

Campuses Ensnared by ‘Life of Deception’

Adam Wheeler fabricated transcripts from Phillips Andover Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to gain admission to Harvard.

Education Secretary Steps Into a Minefield in Brooklyn

Views about charter schools and federal money dominated the day as Secretary Arne Duncan visited New York.

By TAMAR LEWIN
Berkeley, aiming to encourage good health habits in its freshmen, is asking them to supply genetic samples.

Inspectors Find Fraud at Centers for Children

In 8 of 15 tests, Head Start employees lied on federal forms about the applicants’ family income and other information to gain approval for ineligible children, a report said.

Education Official Departing

Robert Shireman, the deputy under secretary of the United States Department of Education, is leaving Washington in July.
Kindergarten at TAG Young Scholars, which serves mostly minority students.

The Children Are Bright; the Setting, Scruffy

At TAG Young Scholars, a citywide school in East Harlem for the talented and gifted, what goes on inside the classroom is praised, but the aesthetics and facilities are, in a word, challenging.

Going Back to School: Fired Staff Is Rehired

All the staff members of Central Falls High School, who were fired in February as part of a turnaround plan for the underperforming school, will be rehired.
A CONVERSATION WITH JEFFREY L. BADA
Jeffrey L. Bada, 67, is the distinguished professor of marine chemistry at the University of California, San Diego. He studies how life began.

A Marine Chemist Studies How Life Began

Jeffrey L. Bada, a professor in San Diego, says scientists are “closing in” on determining how amino acids became life.

Massachusetts: Student Accused of Faking His Way Into Harvard

A Delaware man has been charged with faking his way into Harvard and duping the university out of $45,000 in financial aid, grants and scholarships.
Boston University held a graduation ceremony for its class of 1970 on Sunday morning. The original commencement was canceled amid a tumultuous spring.

40 Years Later, a Proper Graduation

About 300 members of Boston University’s class of 1970 attended a graduation ceremony on Sunday, four decades after the original was canceled amid political unrest.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Oh, those Ohio charter management companies!

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Oh, those Ohio charter management companies!

Oh, those Ohio charter management companies!

Bad guys in white hats

A group of Cleveland and Akron charter schools is in open rebellion against the for-profit management firm that runs the schools. The governing boards say that White Hat's interest in making a profit conflicts with the schools' goal to educate. The suit, filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, says that the boards are "virtually impotent to

Stanford University prepares for an amazing 'bookless library' Education - San Jose Mercury News

Education - San Jose Mercury News

Box by box, decades of past scholarship are being packed up and emptied from the school's Physics library to make way for the future: a smaller but more efficient and largely electronic library that can accommodate the vast and expanding literature of Physics, Computer Science and Engineering.

Education - latimes.com CalPERS plans to seek $700 million more from state, school districts

Education - latimes.com

 CalPERS plans to seek $700 million more from state, school districts

CalPERS plans to seek $700 million more from state, school districts


Hike in contributions is intended to meet future retiree obligations after steep investment losses in the 2008-09 fiscal year. It's likely to heighten pressure from the governor to cut pension costs.

School backs out of 'stay at home' field trip


Verdugo Hills High had arranged for seniors to stay home during three days of standardized testing for underclassmen. After district officials raised questions, the school is scrambling for new plans.

Capping off college with senior projects


Research theses and creative projects are gaining popularity among educators and students alike. Experts say they force undergrads to synthesize various skills and subjects into high-quality products.

Legislative analyst recommends reducing college funding | California Watch

Legislative analyst recommends reducing college funding | California Watch

Legislative analyst recommends reducing college funding

In its analysis of the governor's May budget revision, the state Legislative Analyst's Office says the Legislature should reduce funding for colleges and universities in order to help spare state welfare and child care programs.
The nonpartisan analyst's report recommends suspending the minimum funding guarantee to community colleges under Proposition 98 and targets physical education courses at the colleges.
Proposition 98 is the main source of funding for K-12 schools and community colleges.
"Given the state budget situation, there is a real question whether California can afford to fund the current–law Proposition 98 minimum funding level," the analysis reads.
Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor also said in a press conference that lawmakers could target universities f

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

'One Test On One Day' for Teacher Evaluations - Teacher Beat - Education Week

'One Test On One Day' for Teacher Evaluations - Teacher Beat - Education Week

'One Test On One Day' for Teacher Evaluations

According to colleagues and sources who attended the Education Writers' Association recent conference, National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel took the opportunity during a panel discussion to reiterate that it's "absurd" for districts and states to think that it's possible to use "one test on one day" to evaluate a teacher.
I am genuinely perplexed: I have not heard of a single district that's proposing to use just one test score to evaluate a teacher. The whole point of value-added measures of student growth is that they require at least two scores at different points in time to get a gauge of teacher effectiveness. Some states and districts require at least three or more discrete scores, and a few of the growth models out there, like the one used in Tennessee

Oakland Unified’s next state trustee? Probably a part-timer. The Education Report

The Education Report

Oakland Unified’s next state trustee? Probably a part-timer.

By Katy Murphy
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 4:42 pm in budget, local control

Vincent Matthews, OUSD trustee and future superintendent of the San Jose school districtWhen State Administrator-turned-State Trustee Vincent Matthews leaves the Oakland school district in July to take charge of San Jose Unified, the financially struggling school system could find itself with a $100,000-plus windfall (my estimate — nothing official).
Matthews’ replacement, whoever it is, is likely to be part-time, Hilary McLean, the press secretary for California Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, told me today.
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This Week In Education Thompson: Isaiah & Real Community Schooling

This Week In Education

Thompson: Isaiah & Real Community Schooling

ScreenHunter_02 May. 18 00.07As a sophomore, Isaiah (as I will call him) articulated the rationale for community schools better than anyone else ever had.
I use him as an example for my modest reform proposal.
Here's how it happened.
Isaiah was seething as he came to class late but eventually he spoke,asking "D.T., can I ask a few questions?"
I said sure, and then, addressing his classmates, Isaiah asked, "Do you remember when we made Mrs. So and So cry?"
The rejoiner from across the room was "Yeah! That was fun!"

Texas & California: Austin should watch how much higher education gets cut | THE EDUCATION FRONT Blog | dallasnews.com

Texas & California: Austin should watch how much higher education gets cut | THE EDUCATION FRONT Blog | dallasnews.com

Texas & California: Austin should watch how much higher education gets cut

The story that caught my attention today is the one in the Wall Street Journal about the University of California system cutting $500 million from its operations. The story also contained some pretty astounding stats about just how much has been cut from the UC system over the last 20 years. (One fact: From 1990-1991, funding for higher ed in California dropped twice as fast as it declined around the nation.)
This time, the cuts apparently will come from various administrative expenses. I certainly hope that is true, because I have no desire to see UC students or professors get hurt. They are the core product, so to speak.

The Educated Reporter: Extreme Makeover: School Edition

The Educated Reporter: Extreme Makeover: School Edition

Extreme Makeover: School Edition

What would a reality show about school turnaround look like? Teachers would be fired, replacements pounding Doubleshot would be hired, and data would be gathered like mad. The charismatic new principal would turn some tired educational cliche into a national catchphrase. The host? Jeff Probst, meet Justin Cohen.

Nah, sorry, too boring. Here’s an idea instead: A rotting excuse for a school building gets renovated in just a few days by a cheery, predictable reality show team. (Megaphone, check. Designer with hipster glasses, check.) Welcome “School Pride” to your Friday evenings this fall on NBC.

This model has two advantages over “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” First, the only thing more compelling than five needy people crying at their newly revealed glam surroundings is five hundred people doing the same. Second, rather than a kindergartner getting her bedroom decorated to a fare-thee-well based on a casually mentioned interest she will probably ditch next year, the whole kindergarten classroom will get that treatment, benefiting five-year-olds for decades to come.

And guess what? Nice buildings boost academic achievement! Well, at least according to the show’s

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hess tries his best to spin CF mess

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Hess tries his best to spin CF mess

Hess tries his best to spin CF mess

AEI's teacher-bashing spinmeister Rick Hess, tries his best to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear (Gist's mass firings at Central Falls H.S.). A massive push-back by organized labor, students and teachers nationwide forcedCommissioner Gist and Supt. Gallo to rescind the firings and hire back all 93 teachers and staff before legal action would have forced the issue.

In this interview with Gist, Hess tries to make it seem like this was the plan all along, that the firings were just part of a "poker game" bluff to make the teachers union accept violations of the contract without any negotiations. Notice how he tries to lead Gist into accepting a certain percentage of firings as a benchmark of success. Gist of course, refuses.

RH: Okay, but suppose that, at this time next year, we see that just five or six of the school's 93 teachers are removed. Would observers be right to be skeptical that the process was toothless?

Antonucci’s facts are not so factual. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Antonucci’s facts are not so factual. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Antonucci’s facts are not so factual.

Mike Antonucci publishes a blog called Intercepts. It’s conceit is that he is a spy in the house of teacher unions. His favorite target is the NEA.
Although he is an anti-teacher union ideologue and zealot, he does have a questionable reputation for getting his facts right.
But not always.
Not in a recent post on the top 20 education blogs on Technorati.
First he says that he doesn’t really understand how the Technorati rankings work, even though there’s a pretty simple explanation on the Technorati site. It explains how the rankings, which top off at 1000, are a ranking of

Schools Matter: More "Zero" Pushback?

Schools Matter: More "Zero" Pushback?

More "Zero" Pushback?

Even charter school parents are offended by Duncan's "zero" opposition claims:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Leonie Haimson, 917-435-9329
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 Mona Davids, 917-340-8987
Khem Irby: 718-452-0146
Leslie-Ann Byfield: 917-783-5299

CHARTER SCHOOL PARENTS PROTEST DUNCAN’S VISIT TO NYC CHARTER SCHOOL
Before raising the cap, charter and district parents demand more transparency, accountability, equity and parent input at charter schools

NEW YORK, NY (May 18, 2010) Today, current and former charter school parents protested the appearance of Secretary Duncan’s visit to Kings Collegiate Charter School in Brooklyn, one of the chain of charter schools run by Uncommon Schools.

Eduflack: Around the Edu-Horn, May 18, 2010

Eduflack: Around the Edu-Horn, May 18, 2010

Around the Edu-Horn, May 18, 2010

Is support soft for Jersey's RttT application? http://tinyurl.com/22stozy

RT @gtoppo: Fraud in Head Start. http://bit.ly/bYfFc8#usat

Brill's NYT preview of teachers' unions "last stand" -- http://tinyurl.com/36m8etm

And Brill's EdWeek RttT analysis -- http://tinyurl.com/27vacoz

RT @sgermeraad LA TImes ed board: change teacher contracts to include saner rules that benefit agreement." http://bit.ly/aFRK8a

RT @EDPressSec RT @usedgov Sec. Arne Duncan's statement on Central Falls agreement. http://go.usa.gov/3ld