Sunday, June 13, 2010

Mobile science program brings high-tech gear to schools | Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/12/2010

DAVID SWANSON / Staff Photographer

Through the Science in Motion program, vans loaded with state-of-the-art lab equipment visit schools across the region to offer hands-on lessons many districts could not otherwise afford.

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Mobile science program brings high-tech gear to schools

By Dan Hardy

Inquirer Staff Writer

It was a "Wow!" moment - literally.
As seventh grader Sidhartha Bhuyan turned a dial on the side of a digital microscope, the beating heart of a live daphnia, a tiny crustacean, pulsed into focus on a laptop computer screen.
"Wow!" Bhuyan called out. "Awesome!"
The reaction of the student at Arcola Intermediate School in Montgomery County's Methacton School District is the kind that makes a teacher's day and might jump-start a longer-term interest in science.
The moment came courtesy of Science in Motion, a respected but often-imperiled mobile science program that brings expensive equipment and knowledgable instructors to schools around the state.
This week, hundreds of seventh graders at Arcola have been learning to use digital microscopes, taking pictures of tiny organisms and printing them out at the end of class. Ron Faust, a Science in Motion biology educator based at Ursinus College, oversaw each lesson.
Having students get their hands on the same kind of equipment used in college labs and industry is "unbelievable," Arcola seventh-grade science teacher Peggy Greene said. "It definitely encourages the students to see that the microscope is a tool that can be exciting in learning science. . . . It makes them consider science as a real career opportunity or a real passion."
Students agreed. "It's a good learning experience," seventh grader Hannah O'Neill said. "It's really great to use this cool piece of technology."
The Science in Motion premise is simple: Schools often can't afford state-of-the-art scientific gear, costing thousands of dollars, that might be used only sporadically. Science in Motion buys the equipment and supplies,

Black students added to discrimination probe at L.A. Unified | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times

Cal State considers fee hike to counter state funding cuts

By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times

Fees for undergrads and business grad students would go up by 5%, and fees for doctoral education students would go up 10%. The plan would also eliminate the cap on nonresident tuition.

On USC campus, a will to fight on through the gloom

By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times

One staffer likens eliminating the possibility of the Trojans playing in a bowl game to Christmas without Santa Claus.

L.A. Unified fails to turn out its population base to pass parcel tax

By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times

In a district with nearly 618,000 students, Measure E could have swept to victory with about 204,000 yes votes from parents, employees and others. But with 53% of the vote, it went down to defeat.

EDUCATION
Headlines from L.A. Now

Black students added to discrimination probe at L.A. Unified06/12/2010, 6:34 p.m.
Columnist urges UCLA grads to thank campus workers06/11/2010, 7:03 p.m.
Fire at Florence recycling center releases toxic fumes06/11/2010, 3:03 p.m.
Founders of high scoring San Fernando Valley charter school charged with theft of $200,00006/11/2010, 1:13 p.m.
L.A. schools brace for more cuts after parcel tax fails06/11/2010, 7:10 a.m.
Firefighters rescue passengers from broken Ferris wheel at Hollywood High School carnival06/10/2010, 9:15 p.m.

More ...

Schools Matter: Alert: Books Educate Children!

Alert: Books Educate Children!

by Jim Horn

A novel idea, pun intended:

Can a $50 stack of paperback books do as much for a child's academic fortunes as a $3,000 stint in summer school?

An experimental program in seven states may help answer that question this summer as districts

Saturday, June 12, 2010

CHARTER SCHOOL SCANDALS: Dove Science Academy - Tulsa

Dove Science Academy - Tulsa

by The Perimeter Primate

TEEN PLEADS GUILTY TO RAPING CHILD AT TULSA CHARTER SCHOOL, June 7, 2010, The Tulsa World (OK)

A Tulsa teenager pleaded guilty Monday to raping an 11-year-old student at a Tulsa school.
Donnie D. Johnson, 18, is to be sentenced July 19.
Tulsa County District Judge William Kellough ordered Johnson, who had been free on bond, placed in the Tulsa Jail after his guilty plea.
A Department of Corrections background report will be prepared before his sentencing. Johnson has no agreement with prosecutors concerning his punishment.
Assistant District Attorney Jack Thorp said he will request prison time.
Johnson, who was then 17, was charged in December 2008 with the first-degree rape of a sixth-grade student by force and violence at Dove Science Academy, 280 S. Memorial Drive.
Johnson, who was a high school student, and the girl both attended the Dove charter school.
Johnson is alleged to have raped the girl in a school rest-room on Dec. 11, 2008. He was arrested

Pittsburg High teachers sound off against principal - ContraCostaTimes.com

Pittsburg High teachers sound off against principal

Majority of instructors ask for administrator's removal in vote.

By Paul Burgarino
Contra Costa Times

Posted: 06/12/2010 03:10:45 PM PDT

Updated: 06/12/2010 03:23:24 PM PDT

PITTSBURG — Most teachers at Pittsburg High School delivered a vote of no confidence in the school's principal last month, arguing that he belittles teachers in public, puts unrealistic expectations on the staff, and violates terms of the teachers' contract.

The executive board of the Pittsburg teachers union read a four-page document before the school board at a May meeting criticizing Todd Whitmire's leadership style.

Of the 71 Pittsburg High teachers who voted, 59 wanted Whitmire's dismissal. The school has 99 teachers.

Pittsburg High teachers have had problems with Whitmire's "improper behavior" for years and district administrators haven't addressed the complaints, said Chris Coan, Pittsburg teachers union president.

"For the last year and a half, all we've gotten is 'we'll talk to Todd,' and nothing happens. It should have been taken care of years ago," Coan said.

Though most complaints center on Whitmire's evaluations of teachers, others allege that he discriminates

Abby Sunderland & Conventional Wisdom on the Capabilities & Quests of Youth | Lefty Parent

Abby Sunderland & Conventional Wisdom on the Capabilities & Quests of Youth

by Cooper Zale

Abby Sunderland

So should Abby Sunderland have attempted to sail around the world? Should her parents have let her? I’m sure plenty of people will argue endlessly, many on camera for news shows seeking high viewership ratings, of the particulars of this case of Abby’s age, her judgment, her family’s judgment, and her parents’ responsibility in their role as stewards.

I am more concerned about the “spin”, and the reinforcement of the prevailing conventional wisdom about the limits of the agency of youth and the responsibility of parents and other stewards of those youth to restrain and constrain the more prodigious among them from pursuing their dreams and strutting their stuff.

I guess the facts of this particular anecdote and the decisions that were made by Sunderland and her family are arguable. Maybe getting delayed and having to do the treacherous Cape navigation in the southern hemisphere

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: CTU President-elect Karen Lewis' Victory Speech

CTU President-elect Karen Lewis' Victory Speech

Lewis and CORE defeat Stewart and UPC by wide margin - Substance News

CORE, led by Karen Lewis, wins CTU election in landslide, with Lewis defeating Marilyn Stewart 12,080 to 8,326

George N. Schmidt - June 12, 2010

Karen Lewis has been elected president of the Chicago Teachers Union, and CORE has won the leadership of the 30,000-member CTU by a landslide. Lewis, a Martin Luther King Jr. High School Chemistry teacher, headed the slate of candidates from the caucus called CORE (the Caucus of Rank and File Educators) and won a landslide victory on June 11, 2010, in the hotly contested Chicago Teachers Union runoff election. CORE not only won the top four offices in the union, but the other nine citywide offices, and all of the vice presidencies for high schools (six) and elementary schools (17). By the time the final vote counts were announced in the early hours of June 12, it was clear that CORE had completely defeated the United Progressive Caucus (UPC) and the six-year CTU president Marilyn Stewart.

The CORE victory, the size of which became clear early in the evening during the counting of the votes at the headquarters of the American Arbitration Association at 225 N. Michigan in Chicago, was a landslide. Karen Lewis defeated Marilyn Stewart by a vote of 12,080 to 8,326, with the other three CORE candidates for officers in the 30,000-member union each receiving more than 12,000 votes to fewer than 8,300 for each of CORE's opponents. The final vote tallies were certified by the American Arbitration Association at 3:00 a.m. on the morning of June 12, 2010.

Senn High School history teacher Jesse Sharkey was elected vice president by a vote of 12,000 (to 8,233 cast for his UPC opponent Mark Ochoa).

Displaced elementary teacher Michael Brunson was elected recording secretary by a vote of 12,016 (to 8,200 cast for his UPC opponent Mary Orr).

Eberhart Elementary School Special Education teacher Kristine Mayle was elected financial secretary by a vote of 12,032 (to 8,191 cast for her UPC opponent Keith VanderMeulen).

All six CORE candidates for trustee were elected. They are: Jackson Potter, Jay Rehak, Lois Ashford, Eric Skalinder, Sara

Fact-Checking Parks & Rec � The Quick and the Ed

Fact-Checking Parks & Rec

by Kevin Carey

In the penultimate episode of Parks and Recreation, Rob Lowe plays a manager from the Indiana State Budget Office who arrives to solve the financial problems of Pawnee. From 1999 to 2001 I actually had exactly this job, and so I feel compelled to set the record straight. A few points of clarification:
1) No auditors work for the Indiana State Budget Agency (not Office). The State Budget Agency is responsible for financial analysis and management of state agencies. It’s the equivalent of the federal Office of Management and Budget, an agency that allows the elected governor to exert authority over the state bureaucracy by controlling the allocation, use, and movement of money.
2) One might logically conclude that Rob Lowe’s character should therefore have come from the State Auditor’s office. Wrong! The State Auditor, an elected official as required by the Indiana Constitution, doesn’t audit either. He’s essentially the State Bookkeeper, who maintains the chart of accounts and writes checks. More sensible

The Bay Citizen - Stanford Considers Guideline for ‘Conflict Minerals’ - NYTimes.com

Stanford Considers Guideline for ‘Conflict Minerals’

By KATHARINE MIESZKOWSKI

Published: June 11, 2010

REPRINTS

Stanford University, an incubator for dozens of Silicon Valley companies, has become the focus of a grass-roots effort to pressure the technology industry to crack down on “conflict minerals.”

Enlarge This Image

Adithya Sambamurthy/The Bay Citizen

Nina McMurry, right, and Angie McPhaul have been active in a student group involved in the issue of conflict minerals.

This article is part of our expanded Bay Area coverage.

The Bay Area Blog features coverage of public affairs, commerce, culture and lifestyles in the region. We invite your comments atbayarea@nytimes.com.

Go to the Bay Area Blog »

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, armed groups force villagers to mine minerals like wolframite and cassiterite. Metals processed from such minerals are used in consumer electronics products, including laptop computers, MP3 players, cellphones and digital cameras.

On Thursday, a committee of Stanford’s trustees considered a resolution to create a new proxy voting guideline for the university’s investments. The guideline would support shareholders’ efforts to make companies trace the supply chain of the minerals used in their products.

The board, which met privately, has not announced its decision.

“This is a huge humanitarian crisis, and if Stanford can have an impact at all, we should try to,” said Nina McMurry, a senior and a member of Stand, a student organization that raised the conflict minerals issue with the university.

If Stanford adopts the guideline, it would be the first university in the country to take such action on the issue, according to the Center for American Progress, a policy institute in

Calif. gov candidates come from different worlds - Boston.com

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

Educator honored for teaching language, confidence

Takuto Kimura, 13, remembers his first day in an American classroom three years ago. He did not speak a word of English. (By June Q. Wu, Globe Correspondent)

Asking more of preschool

Once considered just places to play, preschools now sandwich science and math lessons in between naps and recess. To help teachers meet the new academic rigor and to reduce socioeconomic achievement gaps that start before kindergarten, the state wants more teachers to earn bachelor’s degrees. (By James Vaznis, Globe Staff)

Quincy to lay off 75 teachers if budget is approved in vote

As the city’s School Committee finalized a budget last night that would lay off about 118 people, including approximately 75 teachers, Mayor Thomas P. Koch said residents could be hit with an incremental tax increase next year. (By Molly A.K. Connors, Globe Correspondent)

Walpole students petition homeowner flying Confederate flag

A group of Walpole High School students have been gathering the signatures of their fellow classmates, hoping to use them to persuade the homeowner who displays the Confederate flag next to the field where they play football games that it’s time to take it down. (By Michele Morgan Bolton, Globe Correspondent)

College program for Randolph high school students offers credits, low fees

Just a few years ago, Randolph was considered a town in decline: School programs were being cut, MCAS scores were low, political controversies plagued Town Hall, and a series of homicides made the headlines. (By Wendy Chow, Globe Staff)

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Schools Matter: Rethink Afghanistan, Rethink Education

Rethink Afghanistan, Rethink Education

While America engages in the New Great Game costing billions of dollars and thousands of American lives, school districts are forced to make cuts to our public education system. This does not

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