Monday, July 19, 2010

Proposal would give Rutgers University the authority to approve N.J. charter schools | NJ.com

Proposal would give Rutgers University the authority to approve N.J. charter schools

Published: Monday, July 19, 2010, 7:21 AM Updated: Monday, July 19, 2010, 7:28 AM

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Noah K. Murray/The Star LedgerNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at the Charter School Association Conference in March. Under a proposed bill, the number of charter schools could increase.

TRENTON — Five N.J. Democrats haveproposed a bill to expand the state's charter school system and provide Rutgers University with the authority to approve new schools, according to a report on APP.com.

The legislation would also allow for new types of charters, such as virtual schools, one-gender schools and schools specializing in behavioral disorders, the report said. Though the bill was crafted by Democrats, it should get little resistance from Gov. Chris Christie, who has supported charter schools, the report said.

Previous charter school coverage

• N.J. Gov. Chris Christie leaves charter school budget untouched

• N.J. charter schools funding is expected to remain flat, education chief says

Gov. Christie reveals plans to limit N.J. superintendents' salaries, base pay on merit

Gov. Christie proposes superintendent salary cuts

By Claire Heininger/Statehouse Bureau

July 16, 2010, 6:00AM

Proposal ties compensation to district size, encourage districts to share administrative teams Full story »

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Rutgers University board approves tuition, fee hike in $2B budget plan

By Kelly Heyboer/ The Star-Ledger

July 15, 2010, 9:35PM

Undergraduates to pay 4 percent more in tuition, 5.1 percent more in room and board under the plan Full story »

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Gov. Christie proposes superintendent salary cuts, merit-based bonuses

By Statehouse Bureau Staff

July 15, 2010, 2:03PM

N.J. governor, education commissioner say superintendent pay would be pegged to student enrollment Full story »

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News: The Real Scandal at Illinois? - Inside Higher Ed

The Real Scandal at Illinois?

July 19, 2010

If you want to study Buddhist or Methodist or Jewish thought at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, there are relevant courses in religious studies -- courses where the instructors have been selected by a department of scholars, through standard academic procedures.

But if you want to study Roman Catholicism, your instructors have been through different vetting -- they will have been nominated by (and their salaries paid by) the St. John's Catholic Newman Center, a church organization independent of the university, set up to serve Catholic students at the university.

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This arrangement has existed for decades, and been opposed by faculty members -- also for decades. Not only is it highly unusual for a college to give an outside group the right to screen and nominate candidates to teach, but the situation raises church-state issues at a public institution, presents issues of fairness when it is permitted for only one religious group at a secular college, and may undercut the values of the field of religious studies, faculty critics say.

The way the University of Illinois teaches Catholic thought has attracted widespread attention in the last week with the news that a long-term instructor, Kenneth Howell, was told that he would not be rehired,following complaints about an e-mail message he sent to students, which many viewed as misinformed about homosexuality, and as

BP Offers to Researchers Raise Concerns on Access to Data BP has been offering lucrative research contracts -- with signing bonuses -- to marine science researchers in the Gulf region, and the deals have alarmed scientists because of confidentiality clauses and restrictions on access that would be allowed ...

Transfer of Credit Difficulties An abundance of articulation agreements doesn't assure easy transfer of credit from community colleges to four-year institutions. That's the conclusion of an article in *The Indianapolis Star,* which examined the situation in Indiana. Ivy Tech ...

The Real Scandal at Illinois? As many rally around instructor who won't be rehired, some wonder why a public university allows one religious group to nominate those who will be hired to teach about its faith.

Education Dept.'s Ron Barfield probed for allegedly dropping N-word repeatedly during PTA meeting

BY EDGAR SANDOVAL AND MEREDITH KOLODNER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Monday, July 19th 2010, 4:00 AM

Monakhov for News

Parent advocate Ron Barfield is accused of using the N-word during a PTA meeting at PS 134.

RELATED NEWS

City charter schools are big winners in veto by Gov

The Education Department is investigating an employee who allegedly used the N-word repeatedly during a PTA meeting - and doled out advice on how to keep parents from getting involved.

Ron Barfield, an African-American who is the district's paid parent advocate responsible for helping public school families in northeast Queens, reportedly was caught on tape during a May PTA meeting for Public School 134.

During a discussion of when to hold meetings, Barfield allegedly said: "Do it Fridays, cause n-----s don't like to come out on Fridays," according to a partial transcript published

Emergency declaration in schools triggers confusion, anger | California Watch

Emergency declaration in schools triggers confusion, anger

by Louis Freedberg

Louis Freedberg

Parent advocates fear that the declaration of an emergency last week by the California State Board of Education in 1,000 mostly low-performing public schools will generate confusion among parents – without giving them the tools to enroll in schools with higher test scores, or to improve conditions in their own schools.
Before it was approved, the Board of Education also provoked the ire of state Senator Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto. He accused the board of trying to do an end run around a key amendment that he had inserted in the legislation which was signed into law by Gov. Schwarzenegger in January.
The emergency declaration will require 1,000 "low performing" schools to inform parents that their children's school has been declared an "open enrollment" school by September 15 – which in theory should allow them to

California prisons take flak on lockdown policy

by Michael Montgomery

Michael Montgomery

Lockdowns are a way of life for many inmates serving time in California prisons. That might not come as a surprise, given endemic violence, racial tensions, gang activity and budget cuts.
But according to the Prison Law Office, recently obtained government data suggest prisons across the state are arbitrarily imposing lockdowns on entire racial groups, with some stretching to months and even years.

Cristo Rey seeks business partners to hire students - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Cristo Rey seeks business partners to hire students

Published: Monday, Jul. 19, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 2B

Cristo Rey High School is looking for businesses to hire their students.

The private Catholic high school offers a college preparatory education for low-income students, according to school officials. The students pay part of the cost of their schooling by working at local businesses.

The high school teaches the students basic computer skills and workplace etiquette before they begin a job.

"Cristo Rey's work study program is mutually beneficial for our students and the businesses of our community," said David Brown, director of the program at Cristo Rey High School, in a press

Sierra College president says he'll leave next June

By Bill Lindelof - Updated: 10:18 am

Leo E. Chavez, president of Sierra College, has tendered his resignation effective nearly a year from now.

Districts cut school year to save cash

By Louis Freedberg - Updated: Friday, July 16 2010 - 9:45 am

Just as education experts are encouraging more classroom time to improve student grades and test scores, many California districts are moving in the opposite direction by shortening their school year amid a sustained and draining budget crisis.

Interactive: California's most troubled schools

Local talks pave curriculum path

By Diana Lambert - Published: Friday, July 16 2010 - 12:00 am

Sacramento County is leading the way in setting new academic standards for California that will mesh with national guidelines.

Jerry Large | UW Math Academy out to broaden engineering's appeal | Seattle Times Newspaper

UW Math Academy out to broaden engineering's appeal

At the University of Washington, the summertime Mathematics Academy is trying to broaden the appeal of engineering. The College of Engineering hopes to close the gap between what students learn in high school and where they need to be to succeed in college math. All kinds of students fall into the gap, but it is more marked with students from some minority groups or from low-income families.

Jerry Large

Seattle Times staff columnist

Jerry Large's columns via RSS

The equations on dry-erase boards didn't interest me, but the people in the room did.

They were figuring out something about the slope of a tangent, but the real question is, can passion multiplied by work produce an exponential increase in realized talent?

Dave Prince is the lead instructor for the summertime Mathematics Academy at the University of Washington. It's a project of the College of Engineering.

Helping is personal for him. "My family was very poor," he told me. "I know what it's like to be hungry." He

Rise & Shine: A beloved principal is Race to the Top casualty | GothamSchools

Rise & Shine: A beloved principal is Race to the Top casualty

by Philissa Cramer

A beloved Burlington, Vt., principal is an early casualty of Race to the Top’s requirements. (Times)
A DOE employee allegedly used a racial epithet when advising on how to shut parents out. (Daily News)
The city’s Conflicts of Interest Board okayed Cami Anderson’s bid to open charter schools. (Post)
Few students are assigned to schools the city legally can’t close. (GothamSchools, Daily News, NY1)
A Manhattan lawmaker who voted to allow more charter schools says he doesn’t support them. (Post)
A subnarrative of the Nicole Suriel tragedy is the private fundraising that fuels her school. (Times)
The city says it might reopen an investigation into Columbia Secondary School’s principal. (NY1)
The Post calls for quick handling of new complaints against the school’s principal.
The soon-to-be-released testing report is a harsh reality check for city schools, the Daily News warns.
The Daily News says teachers who have flirtatious relationships with students should be fired.
Mayor Bloomberg will take part in a televised education summit on NBC in September. (AP)
Fans and foes of socioeconomic integration in schools are set to face off in Raleigh. (News & Observer)
New Jersey won’t see charter schools open in affluent areas this fall after all. (Wall Street Journal)

Check Out Financial Disclosures for Duncan & Crew - Politics K-12 - Education Week

Check Out Financial Disclosures for Duncan & Crew

by Michele McNeil

Financial disclosure forms that top members of the Executive Branch fill out are meant to shed light on, or even prevent, any conflicts of interests by forcing key officials to reveal their assets, gifts, and past jobs. These things rarely yield anything too interesting (although this year we learned that President Obama's dog, Bo, a gift from the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, was valued at $1,600).
But in the interests of keeping you all informed about the goings on at the Education Department—and so that officials know we do read these forms—I present to you the calendar year 2009 financial disclosure statements for Secretary Arne Duncan, now-chief of staff Joanne Weiss (ex-Race to the Top guru), chief messaging and strategy guy Peter Cunningham, and key ESEA reauthorization player Carmel Martin.
I also requested the forms of chief operating officer Tony Miller and innovation and i3 boss Jim Shelton, but the

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Safer in Iraq

Safer in Iraq

by Mike Klonsky

If you're young and black or brown, you're safer in Iraq than in Daley Town.

An official familiar with shooting statistics said a total of 42 people were shot across the city since Friday 7pm. The official said there was a total of 206 shooting victims for the month of July so far.

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Monday, July 19, 2010