The Trouble With Professor Obama | California Progress Report

The Trouble With Professor Obama | California Progress Report

The Trouble With Professor Obama

by kaldveer

By Paul Hogarth

Last week, a good friend urged me to read The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama, a new book by New Yorker Editor David Remnick. At 586 pages, it is the most thorough and exhaustive biography of Obama yet written – giving readers an encyclopedic background of our current President. As an ex-Chicagoan who lived three doors down from Obama when he first ran for office, I read the book with keen interest. It made me realize how little I knew the guy, and that for years I had drawn conclusions about him based on what I know of Hyde Park politics.
Obama’s a liberal guy, and you can’t help loving his obvious intellect and fascinating background. But he has fallen short of our expectations as President because he is aloof – refusing to get worked up about things when outrage is warranted, and wanting to play fair with conservatives who respond only to fear. That personality served him well at the Harvard Law Review and teaching at the University of Chicago, but not when governing the country.
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Arizona ethnic studies ban reignites discrimination battle

Arizona ethnic studies ban reignites discrimination battle

by Emily Gersema - May. 19, 2010 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

TUCSON - The ethnic-studies program targeted for elimination under a new state law was itself created to help resolve a race-discrimination lawsuit against Tucson public schools.

The program has long drawn fire from critics, most significantly state Superintendent Tom Horne, who says it provokes racism and wants it shut down. Backers of House Bill 2281, signed by Gov. Jan Brewer last week, say it is intended to do that.

But when the Mexican-American studies program began in 1997, it was meant to appease families who had sued the district, alleging segregation and racial inequity across the school system.

The origins of the courses further complicate an issue that has divided the school system and thrust Arizona, yet again, into the national spotlight on issues of race and immigration.

Students and others who defend the program argue that their classes teach students history from a multicultural perspective, and help them analyze public services to find evidence of discrimination. They say the classes have been unfairly demonized.

The result has been several public protests in Tucson, but no agreement yet on whether

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/05/19/20100519arizona-ethnic-studies-lawsuit.html#ixzz0oa0gPD9k

CSU teaching force drops 10 percent in 1 year - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

CSU teaching force drops 10 percent in 1 year - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

CSU teaching force drops 10 percent in 1 year

California's budget cuts have reduced the teaching force 10 percent in the past year on many of the 23 California State University campuses.
The Sacramento-based California Faculty Association disclosed Thursday there are now about 2,500 fewer faculty members compared to May 2009.
The figures are based on payroll data and include full- and part-time faculty, coaches, counselors and others. The union says it reflects a reduction of about 1,230 full-time positions.

Tenure bill signed into law after roller-coaster legislative journey Education - The Denver Post

Education - The Denver Post

At Denver school, four square is quadruply hip05/21/2010Students streamed out of east Denver's Florida Pitt Waller K-8 school Thursday and flanked the playground, shouting to friends and warming up for a school first: a four-square tournament. It's a playground staple these kids elevate to a whole new level.

Tenure bill signed into law after roller-coaster legislative journey 2805/21/2010 - The week before the Senate Education Committee met to hear a bill drastically changing teacher tenure, Sen.

"Innovation" DPS schools not getting autonomy required by law, attorney says 405/20/2010 - Denver Public Schools is not following the spirit of a 2008 law that gives traditional public schools charter-like autonomy on budgeting, staffing and contracting services, according to a Denver attorney.

2 Pueblo charter schools have interim CFO05/20/2010 - PUEBLO, Colo.—The chief financial officer for two Pueblo charter schools is no longer in that post.

Lockheed Martin pledges support for Denver School of Science and Technology05/19/2010 - DENVER—Lockheed Martin is pledging money and volunteer support for the Denver School of Science and Technology.

CTA Applauds Lawsuit Calling on the State to Adequately Fund California Public Schools - California Teachers Association

CTA Applauds Lawsuit Calling on the State to Adequately Fund California Public Schools - California Teachers Association

CTA Applauds Lawsuit Calling on the State to Adequately Fund California Public Schools

Contact Sandra Jackson at 916-325-1550

President David A. Sanchez released the following statement today about the lawsuit by the California School Boards Association, California PTA, and the Association of California School Administrators

BURLINGAME – “California educators know firsthand how the chronic underfunding of public schools is destroying the progress our students and schools are making and is denying a generation of children a real opportunity to succeed. CTA believes every child has the right to a quality public education and that California has a constitutional obligation to provide adequate funding to all schools.

“We are proud to support the goals of the lawsuit filed by the California School Boards Association, the Association of California School Administrators, and the California State PTA requiring state lawmakers to uphold their constitutional duty and design and implement a school finance system that provides all students equal access to a quality educational program.

“Three years ago, the comprehensive Getting Down to Facts research studies showed that California needed to spend 40 percent more—an additional $17 billion at that time—to ensure that all students were able to meet the state’s rigorous academic standards. Since then, more than $17 billion has been cut from K-12 funding, showing that the state is definitely headed in the wrong direction.

“All students should have a right to attend schools with reasonable class sizes, qualified teachers and adequate resources. It’s unfortunate that lawsuits must be filed because our governor and legislators have failed to fulfill their constitutional obligation and invest in our state’s most important resource—our children.”

###

The 325,000-member CTA is affiliated with the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.

Conn. school probe leads to court fight - Boston.com

Conn. school probe leads to court fight - Boston.com

Conn. school probe leads to court fight

May 21, 2010

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MIDDLETOWN, Conn.—Middletown's mayor and the city's Board of Education are now fighting each other in court amid a police investigation into whether school funds were misused.

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A Middletown Superior Court judge is to hear arguments from both sides Friday.

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano is asking the judge to prohibit Superintendent of Schools Michael Frechette from destroying financial records.

School officials want a ruling ordering the mayor to remove police officers from

RI charter school gets extension, and a warning

Education Commissioner Deborah Gist issued a warning in addition to a one-year conditional extension for the Highlander Charter School.

Medford Catholic school to close

A financially struggling Catholic school in Medford is closing after several years of declining enrollment.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan's "miracle"

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Duncan's "miracle"

Duncan's "miracle"

by Mike Klonsky

More evidence of the fraud that was Duncan/Daley's "miracle" in Chicago. Arne Duncan rode the myth all the way to D.C.

Eighth-grade scores didn't show any significant gains between 2002 and 2009 -- a period spanning most of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan's tenure here as Schools CEO.Chicago posted no substantial progress since 2002 in closing the achievement gap between white students compared

Race to the Top resubmit � SCUSD Observer

Race to the Top resubmit � SCUSD Observer

SCUSD Observer

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SCUSD trustees voted Thursday evening to resubmit the Race to the Top application as the state seeks to be one of 10 selected for $3 billion in second-round funding. Finalists will be announced in the fall.

API Alzheimer's - Perdaily.com

API Alzheimer's - Perdaily.com

API Alzheimer's

by Leonard

On Wednesday the California Department of Education released the 2009 Academic Performance Index (API) scores for schools in California. At LAUSD the news that 72% of its schools were in the lower half in terms of performance of all schools throughout the state didn't seem to bother LAUSD leadership very much. No matter how badly students perform on the API or other assessments, a successful career in LAUSD administration still means that you are incapable of seeing that anything is wrong.

This is attested to by the contemporaneous appointment of Michelle King to succeed Jim Morris as LAUSD Chief of Staff to Superintendent Ramon Cortines. "A brilliant, innovative and versatile leader, Michelle King never loses sight of our primary mission: Educating children," Superintendent Ramon Cortines said. "She is a veteran educator who has excelled in every assignment. I look forward to her bringing continuity to the position." King who is presently superintendent of Local District 3 for LAUSD

Civil Rights Concerns Over Seniority-Based Layoffs - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Civil Rights Concerns Over Seniority-Based Layoffs - Teacher Beat - Education Week

Civil Rights Concerns Over Seniority-Based Layoffs

by Stephen Sawchuk

Not long ago, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Los Angeles schools system and California over its policy for laying off teachers. The last-in, first-out system decimated teachers in a number of high-poverty, high-minority schools and, the group charged, deprived students of their state constitutional right to an education. ACLU later won an injunction in the case.
At the time, I wondered if layoffs would be increasingly viewed through this type of civil-rights lens. Now along comes an analysis from the Center on Reinventing Public Education that analyzes teacher-experience data from the 15 largest districts in California.
In 2008-2009, the paper states, teachers at risk of layoffs were indeed concentrated in the poorest schools. Schools in the highest poverty quartile, it found, were likely to see 25 percent more teacher layoffs than the

Schools Matter: The "Enough Is Enough" Generation Shuts Down Entire UPR System: Parents and Professors Provide Support

Schools Matter: The "Enough Is Enough" Generation Shuts Down Entire UPR System: Parents and Professors Provide Support

The "Enough Is Enough" Generation Shuts Down Entire UPR System: Parents and Professors Provide Support

The eleven campuses of the University of Puerto Rico have been shut down by students who are calling for an end to the austerity measures that threaten to cripple the gem of higher education in the Caribbean region. Meanwhile, riot police gather outside

NCSE's Scott at Mizzou | NCSE

NCSE's Scott at Mizzou | NCSE

NCSE's Scott at Mizzou

• May 17th, 2010

• NCSE
• 2010

Receiving her honorary degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia, on May 15, 2010, NCSE's executive director Eugenie C. Scott addressed the graduating class, recommending, "Use sunscreen, and use your brains." She added, "use your brains, but use your heart, too. You'll be a better functioning organism if you use both of them." (A transcript of her address follows.) Additionally, at a banquet, she offered a few autobiographical remarks about her career in defending the teaching of evolution in the public schools — "It starts here, after all," she explained. "Because it was at the University of Missouri [where Scott earned her Ph.D.] that I was first introduced to something called 'creation science'." (A transcript of her remarks follows.)

Teacher unions, Dems in disarray after Colorado tenure fight. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Teacher unions, Dems in disarray after Colorado tenure fight. � Fred Klonsky's blog

Teacher unions, Dems in disarray after Colorado tenure fight.

by preaprez

Colorado legislators sheds tears after screwing teachers by passing anti-tenure bill.

The governor of Colorado signed into law a bill that would essentially end tenure rights for teachers in the state.
Enough Democrats split from their party to join with Republicans in the Colorado Senate and House to pass the bill.
Not only did the Democrats split over the law, so did the teacher unions. According to Sam Dillon in the

State Faces Multiple Suits of Failure to Adequately Fund Schools | California Progress Report

State Faces Multiple Suits of Failure to Adequately Fund Schools | California Progress Report

State Faces Multiple Suits of Failure to Adequately Fund Schools

by kaldveer

By David M. Greenwald
Given the state of California's economy and cutbacks to education, perhaps it is not surprising that several different groups are threatening to sue. On Thursday a lawsuit was filed in Alameda County by the California School Boards Association, the Association of California School Administrators, and the California State PTA.
The suit calls for the courts to get rid of the current financing system and to direct the governor and Legislature to create one that is sound, stable and sufficient. They argued it prevents six million students from receiving the education that they are entitled to under the state's constitution.
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PPIC May 2010 Poll Shows Californians Want Democrats and Higher Taxes

by christine

By Robert Cruickshank
PPIC is out with its May 2010 poll, and boy is it a doozy. It shows improving numbers for Democrats, confirms the collapse of Meg Whitman's lead, and perhaps most important of all, leaves absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Californians want higher taxes instead of spending cuts.
First, the campaign numbers (March 2010 in parentheses):
GOP Gubernatorial primary: Whitman 38 (61), Poizner 29 (11), Undecided 31.
Gubernatorial general election:
Brown 42, Whitman 37
Brown 45, Poizner 32
Just look at the collapse in Whitman's numbers. She's spent $68 million dollars and only has a single-digit lead with 31% of the wingnut electorate undecided. Wow.
As a result, Jerry Brown's numbers have recovered against Whitman, over whom he now has a small lead. As expected, Brown fares better against Steve Poizner.
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NAEP - 2009 Reading: The Nation's Report Card

NAEP - 2009 Reading: The Nation's Report Card

Explore the Reading 2009 Trial Urban District Report Card

• Browse the report online and link to the full data for each figure.
• Download a copy of the report to print or share.
• Watch the press conference of the 2009 Reading TUDA Report Card.
• Read the statement from Stuart Kerachsky, Deputy Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.
• Read the National Assessment Governing Board'snews release (263 KB PDF)
• Join Associate Commissioner Peggy Carr for Ask NAEP, an online Q&A about the findings.

© Thomas Barwick © Jamie Grill

 Explore the Reading 2009 Report Card

• Browse the report online and link to the full data for each figure.
• Download a copy of the report to print or share.
• Watch the press conference of the 2009 Reading Report Card.
• Read the statement from Stuart Kerachsky, Deputy Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.
• Read the National Assessment Governing Board'snews release (288 KB PDF).
• View the transcript from Ask NAEP, an online Q&A about the reading results with Associate Commissioner Peggy Carr.

© RelaXimages/PunchStock © Image Source Photogr