New website reveals NY retirees' public pensions - Boston.com

New website reveals NY retirees' public pensions - Boston.com

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

After voters reject tax increase, Belmont schools prepare to make cuts

The Belmont school district is preparing to cut freshmen sports at the high school and eliminate the library program at its four elementary schools after residents voted against raising taxes to provide additional funds next fiscal year. (By Jennifer Fenn Lefferts, Globe Correspondent)

Marblehead rejects Proposition 2 1/2 tax override for new school

In a sweeping rejection of higher taxes, Marblehead voters defeated 10 ballot measures Tuesday to exceed the town’s property tax limits for various capital projects. (By John Laidler, Globe Correspondent)

Westwood parents fight effort to drop strings program

Despite a May Town Meeting vote to increase class sizes, cut teachers, and even raise the fee for all-day kindergarten to balance Westwood’s 2011 school budget, a relatively small cost-cutting decision — to eliminate the middle-school strings program — continues to roil parents. (By Michele Morgan Bolton, Globe Correspondent)

Pembroke students get their science lessons in the wild

The spider was small and yellow and suspended in the middle of an elegantly formed web that caught the light as it hung between saplings. (By Robert Knox, Globe Correspondent)

Young Framingham actor aims toward Hollywood — after college

With one film appearance already under her belt, it’s safe to say that Framingham teen Emily Grove has been bitten by the acting bug — badly. In last year’s “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,’’ Grove rubbed elbows with stars Matthew McConaughey and Emma Stone as an extra in a scene filmed at Brophy Elementary School in her hometown. The scene is ... (Boston Globe)

LATEST EDUCATION NEWS WIRE UPDATES

• AP-GfK poll shows gains for health care overhaul (AP, 3:40 a.m.)
• Map called key to faster Internet in rural Texas (AP, 6/16/10)
• New website reveals NY retirees' public pensions (AP, 6/16/10)
• Ga. gov hopeful Baker: Bingo should fund education (AP, 6/16/10)
• Mich. gov hopeful Bernero releases economic plan (AP, 6/16/10)

LATEST K-12 EDUCATION NEWS

• Sooners looking at own TV network (AP, 6/16/10)
• Suit challenges part of Mich. school retiree plan (AP, 6/15/10)
• Hawaii passes law mandating 180-day school year (AP, 6/15/10)
• Pittsburgh teachers, schools hail 5-year contract (AP, 6/15/10)
• Aid to states, the jobless faces Senate hurdles (AP, 6/15/10)

“Peace Lines” In Belfast | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“Peace Lines” In Belfast | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“Peace Lines” In Belfast Walls that separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast are called Peace Lines. Here are some multimedia features about them: Still Divided is an audio slideshow from The Guardian. Peace Walls of Belfast is another slideshow from The ...

Today’s World Cup Links Here are the newest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The World Cup: The World Cup 2010 – Links to Free Online Games, Quizzes and More comes from ESOL Courses. World Cup 2010: vuvuzela humour – the best of the web is a slideshow from ...

Today’s Oil Spill Links Here are today’s additions to The Best Sites To Learn About The Gulf Oil Spill: Obama Visits Gulf Again is a Wall Street Journal slideshow. The Largest Oil Spills in History, 1901 to Present is an interactive map. Battered By Oil is a New York Times ...

New York Charter Schools Attract Few Hispanics - NYTimes.com

New York Charter Schools Attract Few Hispanics - NYTimes.com

A Best Friend? You Must Be Kidding

By HILARY STOUT

Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times

PLAYGROUP Margaret Guest, center, in striped shirt, often has groups of friends at her home in Dunwoody, Ga.

School officials intent on discouraging anything that hints of exclusivity seek to sever traditional best-friend bonds.

• Post a Comment | Read (177)

Salutes for Graduates Who’ll Be Saluting Soon

By WINNIE HU

At high school graduation ceremonies across the country, soon-to-be soldiers are being recognized alongside the academic stars of their classes.

NATIONAL BRIEFING | EDUCATION

Freshman Enrollment Climbed in 2008

By SAM DILLON

Freshman enrollment at the nation’s colleges and trade schools set records in 2008, the first year of the recession, according to a Pew Research Center report released Wednesday.

U.S. Education Dept. Delays Rules on For-Profit Colleges

By TAMAR LEWIN

The Education Department split off a decision on the treatment of for-profit college programs whose graduates do not earn enough to repay their loans.

SQUARE FEET

College and Hospital Combine Forces to Revitalize Site

By JEFF SCHLEGEL

In Lancaster, Pa., Franklin & Marshall College and Lancaster General plan to move their expanded operations to a 77-acre tract that will include a reconfigured rail yard.

New York Charter Schools Lag in Enrolling Hispanics

By JENNIFER MEDINA and ROBERT GEBELOFF

Although Hispanics are the largest demographic group in the city’s public schools, there are almost twice as many blacks among the 30,000 charter school students.

11 Phila. schools granted new charters | Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/17/2010

11 Phila. schools granted new charters | Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/17/2010

TOP STORY

A test-score milestone for Phila. schools

Philadelphia public schools reached a new milestone this year - the majority of city students met state standards in reading and math for the first time since 2002, when Pennsylvania began administering tests under the No Child Left Behind law.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Report Card on the Schools

The Inquirer's annual survey of education in the region, with a searchable database of school and district information, and multimedia profiles of area students and high schools.

A Doorway Back

With the dropout problem in Philadelphia at crisis proportions, a chance-of-a-lifetime program offers 40 select students a shot at breaking the cycle of failure. But can they take advantage?

RECENT STORIES

11 Phila. schools granted new charters

The Philadelphia School Reform Commission said Wednesday that 11 charter schools would receive new, five-year operating charters once they met a series of conditions.

More N.J. seniors expected to get diplomas than thought

More New Jersey high schoolers will get their diplomas this month than seemed likely a couple of weeks ago, but the number who fall short will rise significantly from last year, a state education official said Wednesday.

Philadelphia's top teacher again from Bodine High School

Call it the Triple Crown, an unlikely trifecta from a Philadelphia magnet school that's quietly built a reputation for top-notch education.

At South Philadelphia High, an upbeat end to a tumultuous year

Balloons, flowers, hugs, and handshakes greeted the 2010 graduates of South Philadelphia High on Tuesday, providing an upbeat, colorful ending to a school year defined by the racial violence of Dec. 3.

Pink slip yearbook - Feature Story - Local Stories - June 17, 2010 - Sacramento News & Review

Pink slip yearbook - Feature Story - Local Stories - June 17, 2010 - Sacramento News & Review

Pink slip yearbook

For the many Sacramento-area teachers losing jobs at the end of this school year, summer break is bittersweet

By Cosmo Garvin, Rachel Leibrock and Nick Miller

This article was published on 06.17.10.

The end of the school year should be a happy time. Students, teachers and parents have survived another year, and maybe even learned something along the way. But due to the state’s budget collapse, many local teachers are cleaning out their classrooms for the summer, and for good.
We’ve heard plenty from the politicians and pundits about the education crisis. But SN&R thought we should hear directly from the teachers who worked hard all year and got laid off as a reward. As this story was going to print, teachers in the Sacramento City Unified School District were preparing to vote on a deal to save some jobs. (Four of the teachers profiled here work in this district; we’ve updated their status as best known at press time.) Still, around the region, teachers say this was the worst year they’ve ever seen. Think of this as a sort of yearbook for the pink slipped class of 2010.

Erika Martin PHOTO BY DON BUTTON

Related stories: Poor school At American Lakes Elementary School in South Natomas, low-income students get the shaft.SN&R, 03.25.10.

Erika Martin started teaching in 2004. The 34-year-old second-grade teacher at North Country Elementary School in Antelope received a permanent pink slip in May.
What kind of challenges do you face in the classroom?
The parents, their lives are pretty fragmented. Parents are working several different jobs, there’s day care and the challenge is providing the most stable environment possible [for the children] during the day. For a lot of them, I’m the most consistent part of the day.
What’s a day in the classroom like?
A lot of your day is spent on—well, they’re little kids, they cry, they get upset, they have a lot of stuff going on in [their] lives; they don’t know how to handle that.
Has anything good come of this?
In the future, you’re going to see parents taking a more active role because all these things have [been] sucked out from under them. It’s not that people took teachers for granted before, but I’ve had several people write letters to the superintendent because [the layoffs] have motivated them. They would not have been motivated had we not faced the crisis.
What’s your biggest concern for the future of education?
I feel so bad for the kids. It’s not their fault, and their education is just going to be totally compromised.

• • •

Yvonne Scarbrough PHOTO BY DON BUTTON

Yvonne Scarbrough, 40, worked as counselor at American Lakes Elementary for five years before getting her final pink slip.
What does your job layoff mean for the students?
I don’t know. I have a lot of regular students who come to me as a place to vent, to focus on issues. I’m an extra support for them to get through the day. In the whole district there are only five counselors, but at this point, there are none at the elementary level.
Are there misconceptions about your job?
There are several. A lot of times I’ve been asked what

UC confrontation review finds 'missteps'

UC confrontation review finds 'missteps'

UC confrontation review finds 'missteps'

UC Berkeley leaders and campus police made serious errors and missed numerous opportunities to avert a...

• Photos

UC: Millions lost in research costs from grants

The University of California misses out on hundreds of millions of dollars each year that could be used...

• Countries paying teen's rescue cost defend sea law 5:15 AM
• Gates, Buffett lobby the rich for donation pledges 9:37 PM
• Report: UC Berkeley bungled student protests 4:14 PM
• Mortgage applications rise nearly 18 percent 11:54 AM
• Jump in US college enrollment highest in 40 years 10:02 AM

More AP Education Headlines »

Rise & Shine: New graduation requirements could come next year | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: New graduation requirements could come next year | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: New graduation requirements could come next year

by Philissa Cramer

• State officials want to strengthen Regents requirements and how the tests are graded. (WSJ, Daily News)
• A solid middle school turnaround strategy won’t be replicated because of budget cuts. (Daily News)
• Students from a Brooklyn middle school built their own boats and set sail yesterday. (NY1)
• A new report says the city’s progress report grading system has problems. (GothamSchools, NY1,Times)
• An electrician in Queens stole more than $1 million from schools, an investigation found. (Post, Times)
• PS 188 in Coney Island is set to get a gym for the first time in 85 years. (Post)
• Education Commissioner David Steiner and others weigh in with letters about test scores. (Post)
• Teachers rallied against school budget cuts yesterday. (GothamSchools)
• Randi Weingarten says D.C.’s new teacher contract actually doesn’t offer much to New York. (Daily News)
• Nationally, high schools are making a special effort to recognize military-bound students. (Times)
• Some experts and educators are trying to crack down on kids’ “best friend” culture. (Times)
• Anti-teacher layoffs advertisements are sweeping the airwaves all over the country. (USA Today)

Schools superintendent gets Education | Seattle schools, Eastside schools, Snohomish County schools, Seattle universities | Seattle Times Newspaper

Education | Seattle schools, Eastside schools, Snohomish County schools, Seattle universities | Seattle Times Newspaper

MARK HARRISON / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Seattle schools Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson and School Board President Michael DeBell converse before the evening's meeting. Read story

Schools superintendent gets thumbs-up from board

The Seattle School Board gave Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson another largely positive evaluation Wednesday, but it also said she needs to improve her communications skills and raise math achievement.

Graduation day is so bittersweet | Jerry Large

• Jerry Large's columns via RSS

90 percent of seniors passed Washington's graduation exams

This Week In Education: Foundations: Gates, Buffett, & Broad Giving It All Away

This Week In Education: Foundations: Gates, Buffett, & Broad Giving It All Away

Foundations: Gates, Buffett, & Broad Giving It All Away

by Alexander Russo

Giving most of your money away sooner rather than later is the latest trend for the uber-wealthy, following a Gates/Buffett campaign to get others to follow in their footsteps, says Businesweek: "Four wealthy couples have already announced their pledges, including Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest of Philadelphia,

AM News: College Enrollment Jumps (But Will They Graduate?)

by Alexander Russo

Jump in US college enrollment largest in 40 years AP: The nation's colleges are attracting record numbers of new students as more Hispanics finish high school and more young adults opt to pursue a higher education than languish in a weak job market... Education" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/education/17brfs04.html" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(34, 68, 187); ">Freshman Enrollment Climbed in 2008 NYT: Freshman enrollment at the nation’s colleges and trade schools set records in 2008, the first year of the recession, according to a Pew Research Center report released Wednesday... Reading the Tea Leaves as 'Big 8' Meet on

Schools Matter: Imagine Update

Schools Matter: Imagine Update

Imagine Update

by Kenneth Libby

From a recent presentation by the leadership of Entertainment Properties Trust, the REIT that owns 31 schooled operated by the Imagine Schools:

There are about 5000 charter schools in place now at about 4% of the total public school system in the United States and it's grown at about 400-500 units per year, which is about a $2 billion dollar annual investment opportunity set. So it's a very big and high growth category that is going to continue to represent opportunities for the company.

The executives also note the promising political climate.

This all makes me wonder: what exactly is Imagine's tax status? How does their official status impact the way they do business with someone like EPT? Time for a little Imagine update...

Over in Indiana, Don Willis is doing business out in the open these days - well, until today. Willis is now gone, as are two other members. Recall Willis' dealings with the still debated Imagine School in McKinney - and, yes,

The Education Report Former Oakland principal, Hayward supe are finalists for San Diego post

The Education Report

Former Oakland principal, Hayward supe are finalists for San Diego post

By Katy Murphy
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 10:36 pm in leadership changes
No Comments

Dale Vigil retired a few months ago from the Hayward school district after almost five years as superintendent, but I guess he’s not ready for a life of leisure quite yet. He’s in the running to lead San Diego Unified, reports Emily Alpert of Voice of San Diego.

Debbra Lindo, former principal of Oakland’s Castlemont High School and the CEO of College Track, is another of three finalists for the superintendency.

Interesting that two of the three finalists hail (at least recently) from the East Bay. I don’t recall either of them applying for the Oakland post last year, though.

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Is Race-To-The-Top headed for the dumper?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Is Race-To-The-Top headed for the dumper?

Is Race-To-The-Top headed for the dumper?

by Mike Klonsky

Duncan's RTTT--read school closing, teacher firing, test-and-punish, "merit-pay"-- plan is running into tough opposition from key members of congress, especially from Democrats. Some don't like the few reform choices and formula-driven grants available to school districts, currently limited to closing low-performing schools; "turnaround" by replacing the principal and most of the staff; or turning schools over to private management companies.

Others, especially southern blue dogs like Mary Landrieu (D-La) oppose the needed sign-on from the teacher