Friday, May 28, 2010

Newsom seeks college accounts for kindergarteners

Some say everyone should go to college. Mayor Gavin Newsom is trying to ensure that's the case in San...

Photos

California jump-ropers set the record

All those kids who skipped rope around California in February are learning this week that they...

Photos

Uribe defends brother against death squad charge 4:29 PM
Morgan Stanley raises chairman's salary to $2M 3:11 PM
Correction: Markets & More-College Students 2:40 PM
Teva won't make more of powerful sedative propofol 11:35 AM
Autistic kids abused in Pa. classroom to get $5M 9:14 AM

More AP Education Headlines »

Freeing nonviolent lifers drives Stanford group

The first time I met Mark, I did not know what to expect. In 1997, a judge decided Mark would never change and sentenced him to life...

Chronicle 5.27.10 4:00 AM

Emergency Federal Education Jobs Bill - Year 2010 (CA Dept of Education)

Dreamers Challenge Scholarship Contest State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces Scholarship Contest from The California Museum: Dreamers Challenge.

Two GOAL Award Winners Named State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Honors Two GOAL Award Winners for Exemplary Special Education Programs.

Emergency Federal Education Jobs Bill State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Urges Congressional Delegation to Support $23 Billion Emergency Federal Education Jobs Fund.

This Week In Education Thompson: Which Dominated, Accountability -- Or Hiring?

This Week In Education

Thompson: Which Dominated, Accountability -- Or Hiring?

by john thompson

Marguerite Roza and the Gates Foundation have a righteous cause (equity) and they will say anything to advance their agenda (of undermining collective bargaining). So, Roza said "adding adults... was the dominant reform model of the last decade." In fairness to her strange claim, Roza, described the hiring of adults as a result of NCLB. But that raises further questions as to why data-driven accountability, which was the dominant reform of the decade and which has failed so badly during times of supposed overstaffing, would actually improve teaching quality? If she is so

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Congrats to Perspectives Calumet students and teachers

Congrats to Perspectives Calumet students and teachers

by Mike Klonsky

Through tears, valedictorian Sade Johnson congratulated her peers on surviving the past four years. “Through it all we stayed together and we grew to know each other,” she said. “Laughing, crying and having fun.”

Perspectives was one of the first teacher-created and teacher-led small schools in Chicago. It became a charter school 13 years ago and opened a school in the old Calumet High School four years ago. This week, as

Free Technology for Teachers: FedFlix - Movies from the US Government Archives

FedFlix - Movies from the US Government Archives

FedFlix, hosted by the Internet Archive, is a collection of nearly 2000 films produced by the US government during the 20th Century. The topics of these films range from presidential speeches to agricultural practices to public health and safety. Some films are instructional in nature, for example there is a film for police officers on how to arrest someone. Other films are more informative in nature and some films are flat-out propaganda films.

All of the FedFlix films are in the public domain so feel free to reuse and remix them as you and your students desire. The films can be downloaded or viewed online. Films can also be embedded into your blog or website. Below I've embedded a 1970 film on etiquette and grooming for women in the military.

Hechinger Report | Teacher effectiveness bill could start national movement, reformers say

Teacher effectiveness bill could start national movement, reformers say

by No Byline

By Eliza Krigman
A landmark Colorado law that ties teacher evaluations to the progress of their students on achievement tests could help build momentum for a national movement that seeks to overhaul how instructors’ tenure and pay is earned, education leaders say.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Colorado’s law will hold teachers accountable for whether their students are learning, with 50% of a teacher’s evaluation based on students’ academic growth as measured partially by test scores. In California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing legislation that will change the way teachers are evaluated, but its prospects are less certain; the state’s teachers union strongly opposes it.
Colorado’s action comes amid a national debate over how to get the best teachers into the classroom and

Assembly Votes to Double Number of Charter Schools - NYTimes.com

N.Y. Assembly Votes to Expand Charter Schools

By JENNIFER MEDINA

Published: May 28, 2010

REPRINTS

The New York Assembly voted on Friday to more than double the number of charter schools in the state, a move that officials hope will give the state a better chance at receiving $700 million in federal grant money.

Room for Debate: The Push-Back on Charter Schools

The measure would raise the number of charter schools permitted in the New York to 460, up from the current 200. The increase would be phased in over the next four years, with more than 60 expected to open each year.

In New York City, the number of charter schools would be capped at 214; the city has almost 100 now.

This morning’s vote came after all-night discussions between lawmakers in the State Senate and the Assembly and the governor’s office.

And the vote appeared to end days of negotiations among charter school advocates and city officials on one side, and the teachers’ union and the Assembly on the other. Several members of the Assembly, including the speaker, Sheldon Silver, have been critical of the growth of charter schools, which are publicly financed

Assembly lifts charter cap; Senate still divided over for-profits | GothamSchools

Assembly lifts charter cap; Senate still divided over for-profits

by Maura Walz

The State Assembly passed a bill this morning to more than double the number of charter schools allowed in New York State.
The deal, hammered out in negotiations that lasted into the early morning, raises the cap on charters from 200 to 460. But charter operators hoping to open new schools will have to jump through a new hurdle, a new Request for Proposals process managed by the Regents and the State University of New York charter authorizers.
The bill includes several measures dear to charter school critics. It bans for-profit charter operators from managing schools, allows the state controller to audit the schools, and creates new regulations around how the schools serve special education students and English language learners. And the bill sets up new rules that govern how New York City charters share building space with district schools.
The bill includes one change from the version of the bill that was being circulated this morning. The Assembly

Molalla students protest cuts to music, theater | OregonLive.com

Molalla students protest cuts to music, theater

By The Oregonian

May 28, 2010, 11:00AM

BY: SARAH ANDREWS
MOLALLA HIGH SCHOOL

All across the state of Oregon, schools are having to make cutbacks because of budget issues and lack of funds. Here, in the Molalla River School District, the school board is trying to cut band and choir fromMolalla River Middle School and turn Molalla High School's theater program into a part-time course. These budget cuts would be detrimental to future students and the programs themselves.

Students would be adversely affected by these proposed budget cuts because they would lose the basic skills required for a musical education, such as learning music and how to play an instrument.

If theater is cut, students would lose the chance to gain self-confidence by performing, an emotional outlet by expressing a range of emotions, and social awareness through the legends, myths, poems, stories and plays of various cultures. The same can be said for band and choir. The sooner a

Oregon City school superintendent warns of tightening budget squeeze

by The Oregonian

"Now we are faced with the ominous task of taking on an additional $2.5 million + revenue shortfall. Just to put this number in perspective - $2.5 million could fund about 38 teachers, or could pay for about 12 days of instruction."

EETT, that light at the end of the tunnel is looking less like a train… | Reflections on Teaching

EETT, that light at the end of the tunnel is looking less like a train…

by alicemercer

As many of my readers know from earlier posts, the road to getting EETT ARRA funds out in California has been anything but smooth. Some progress has been made in hearings yesterday at the State Capitol. This shift on some of the key issues was not just a result of events yesterday, but due to months of effort by a number of different people and groups, CUE, CETPA, ACSA, CCSESA and several district
representatives. Their support was invaluable for me both yesterday, and throughout this process. Thank you!

EETT formula money from ARRA for districts has been approved by the Senate Budget and Assembly Education Budget Subcommittees. Details to follow on the date and time specifics, but both committees

Edujobs Falters, but Is it Dead? - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Edujobs Falters, but Is it Dead?

by Michele McNeil

Even though the $23 billion education jobs bill faltered yesterday in Congress, proponents of this lifeline to the nation's public schools aren't giving up.
Yesterday, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis. canceled a committee meeting intended to add the $23 billion to the war-spending bill. Supporters have already encountered trouble getting enough votes in the Senate. And, apparently, Democrats are privately grumbling that President Obama isn't more involved in making the case for this money, which public school advocates say is desperately needed to forestall draconian teacher layoffs, according to this Associated Press story.
But the National Education Association's government relations director Kim Anderson said the education jobs bill simply got caught up in deficit politics, which are playing out today as the House considers a package of tax extenders involving jobless benefits and some tax cuts. "It's just a delay in time line," she told me today, noting

Three-year universities: Would they make college more affordable? | THE EDUCATION FRONT Blog | dallasnews.com

Three-year universities: Would they make college more affordable?
	12:07 PM Fri, May 28, 2010 \| Permalink \| Yahoo! Buzz William McKenzie/ Editorial Columnist Bio \| E-mail \| News tips

Finish college in three years?

In this provocative article , the former head of George Washington University makes the case for three-year universities. And he's not alone. We heard recently from a local university leader who said three-year universities could become part of the answer to making college more affordable.

Of course, some students have to drop o

Education Week: Banking Giant Offers Financing for Charter Schools

Banking Giant Offers Financing for Charter Schools

By Mary Ann Zehr

Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.

Man Enough for The Women's Conference

Man Enough for The Women’s Conference

By Sean C. Molloy

“We need a man in this office. If we get one more dose of estrogen in here, I‘m gonna lose my mind.”
Those words – from the well-seasoned professional who runs the influential Women’s Conference -- were music to my ears. She was looking to hire a man at the Conference headquarters. And that was my “in” to snag an interview for a job.
She wasn’t looking to procure a cure-all “Mary Poppins” or Man Friday for an executive’s office. These down-to-earth women just needed an administrative assistant -- someone to change the water cooler in the office or wrap the occasional gift basket, fabulously.
Nervously I prepared for my interview, out of my carpetbag of tricks, I pulled the crispest pink Brooks Brothers shirt (thanks Dad!), the most ill-fitting dark denim jeans I could squeeze into, and asked my numerous hair stylist friends for suggestions on my current coif. (If I could have afforded it, there would have been teeth bleaching, tanning and even liposuction.)
Armed with my resume of network television assistant endeavors and my snappy personality, I ventured into waters untested by such a bird of so many varied feathers as I thought I was. I hadn’t a clue that the job that I needed and wanted, but was never on my “vision board,” would change my life…and add a few more colors to my

A tale of two cities. Historic union upheaval. � Fred Klonsky's blog

A tale of two cities. Historic union upheaval.

by preaprez

In Pittsburgh, the agreement by the union leadership to a plan for a Gates Foundation inspired pay-for-performance scheme, led to an election defeat.
In the wake of their defeat by the rank-and-file, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teacher leadership started playing games to keep the victors from taking their seats.

Mr. McManus, who has taught in city schools for 31 years, pointed to the union’s adoption of the Empowering Effective Teachers Plan — a move to implement performance pay as part of the $40 million grant that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the district — as another example where the union sought

Palin will reportedly get $75,000 for appearance at Cal State campus Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

Education - ContraCostaTimes.com

Palin will reportedly get $75,000 for appearance at Cal State campus

By Carla Rivera
Los Angeles Times

Posted: 05/28/2010 06:52:34 AM PDT

Updated: 05/28/2010 06:53:25 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will receive $75,000 to appear at a Cal State campus fundraiser next month, two sources at the university have confirmed.

The sources, who have seen the contract for the appearance — at Cal State Stanislaus, in Turlock — said it calls for $75,000 plus expenses for Palin's hotel, air fare and travel. But the former governor's travel has not been booked yet and the exact cost of expenses is still to be determined, said the sources, who said they wished to remain anonymous because they did not have permission to speak about the contract.
Palin is receiving the fee in two payments of $37,500 each, one of which has already been paid, the sources said.
Palin's planned attendance at Cal State Stanislaus' 50th anniversary gala on June 25 has provoked a storm of controversy, principally because officials had refused to disclose her speaking fee, which had been reported to be as high as $100,000.
Cal State Stanislaus was sued last month by a government watchdog group, which alleges that the campus is violating the California Public Records Act by withholding key documents relating to Palin's attendance.
University officials in turn have argued that the event is being hosted by the Cal State Stanislaus Foundation, a private nonprofit organization that is not subject to the Public Records Act. The contract also includes a

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