Update: SCUSD Board Member Diana Rodriguez attending White House Summit on Education

Update: SCUSD Board Member Diana Rodriguez attending White House Summit on Education

Hello My Friend,

Today was an exciting and informational day. We heard from many of the top people in the White House Administration and got to ask tough questions and provide input for the areas we needed to see in our education system from a Policy perspective.

If you missed today's live webcast, you may want to visit the following link to catch up and see the questions and comments that were made: http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/list/hispanic-initiative/index.html

The Education Summit and Call to Action will continue on Tuesday, October 18th from 8:00 am to 11:00 am EST using the same link above, you can view the webcast live and ask your own questions directly to our speakers. Believe me, your questions are important and will be asked! In fact, your questions are very much appreciated!

Later, you will want to watch the signing ceremony, where I will be witness to President Obama signing the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics at approximately 1 pm EST. Use the following link to view this special event: http://www.whitehouse.gov/

I look forward in connecting with you when I return to Sacramento. We have so much work to do, but my networking and relationship building has brought many possibilities and open doors for us. For example, I was introduced to Mr. John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He and I had a great discussion about our Sacramento area needs and, per my request, he has promised to put Sacramento on his list to visit early next year.  I am excited about this and look forward to engaging our community leaders in this visit.

There are many more connections I've made all in the name of our precious children, who we need to place as a priority for their education needs.

Take care and I'll see you on the web!

Sincerely,


Diana Rodriguez
SCUSD Board Member
District 5
(916) 752-3686

http://www.scusd.edu/Pages/default.aspx

This Week In Education: Reform: Are They Stepping Back From The Brink?

This Week In Education: Reform: Are They Stepping Back From The Brink?

Reform: Are They Stepping Back From The Brink?

by Alexander Russo

Maybe it's the looming midterms or the increasingly overheated and ridiculous rhetoric but there are at least a handful of things that suggest maybe the Democratic party has decided against an all-out civil war over school reform: (1) There's the announced labor-management relations summit in early 2011. (2) The profile of Randi Weingarten in the NYT which notably includes no harsh attacks from

MOVIE REVIEW: August to June | Taking Note

MOVIE REVIEW: August to June | Taking Note

What exactly is a ‘regular public school,’ as opposed to a charter school? Is there such a thing? For that matter, is there a ‘typical’ charter school?by JOHN MERROW on 19. OCT, 2010 in MEDIA, MOVIE REVIEW, TEACHING

“Waiting for Superman” paints a flattering but false picture of charter schools. About 5,000 charter schools are now operating, with an enrollment of about 1.5 million students, but one reliable study indicates that only17% of charter schools outperform regular public schools, while 37% significantly under-perform their public counterparts. So there clearly is no ‘typical’ charter school that will save education.

“Waiting for Superman” also uses its broad brush to paint ‘regular’ public schools as ineffective and hamstrung by union rules. How accurate is that? Is there such a thing as a ‘typical’ regular public school?

The question is rhetorical, of course. America has nearly 100,000 public schools, 95,000 of which are not chartered. And they run the gamut, from disgraceful ‘dropout factories’ to stellar magnet schools to

Applause for Ackerman nationally, but locally rhetoric doesn't match reality Notes from the news, Oct. 19 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Oct. 19 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Oct. 19

by Erika Owens

Applause for Ackerman nationally, but locally rhetoric doesn't match reality The Notebook blog
In Superintendent Ackerman's rebuttal to the manifesto she mistakenly signed onto, she says connecting with communities is key, but her actions in Philly don't always match what she wrote.

Obama: Future depends on science, math education Philadelphia Tribune
Obama spent time with science fair winners from across the country, including some students from Philly.

See also: Philly-area students honored in White House Science Fair The Inquirer

Lessons on school reform from Chicago: Like baking a cake The Notebook blog
Research from Chicago shows that like baking a cake, you can't remove any of the essential ingredients of school reform and still have success.

The day of the community colleges is here Daily News (opinion)
President of CCP says that even though the school is a vital part of the education ecosystem in Philly, it is "called to do more with less."

Philadelphia really needs former Washington, D.C. school superintendent Michelle Rhee Daily News (opinion)
Since the "ignorance-industrial complex" has forced Rhee out of D.C., she should come here.

The independent contractors of higher education Philly Labor blog
A group of adjuncts at Temple is organizing to become part of the AFT.

Furness students urged to spread word about CHIP The Inquirer

School bus hits car; eight students on board OK The Inquirer

Reflections of an Author: Bullies City School Stories

Going Local for Education Movement Escalates to…Lawn Signs? Philly School Search blog

Please email us if we missed anything today or if you have any suggestions of publications, email lists, or other places for us to check for news.

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Obama Renews Hispanic Education Initiative

Obama Renews Hispanic Education Initiative

Los Angeles 10/19/2010 01:02 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)

President Obama is set to renew an initiative aimed at increasing academic participation and achievement within the Hispanic community. South Florida educators were particularly happy about the announcement, made Tuesday of the renewed initiative, saying local students would be greatly rewarded.

“It's an idea whose time has come. The face of America has changed. It's time for a new national policy that addresses the needs of the fastest-growing population of students in the country,” said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade schools. Carvalho will be at the White House Tuesday to help the president launch the initiative.

In South Florida the issue is particularly pertinent, with a large percentage of school-children being Hispanic. In Miami-Dade, over 60 percent of students are Hispanic and more than half of those consider Spanish their first language.

Despite their numbers, there exists an achievement gap between Hispanic students and their non-Hispanic, white counterparts. Across the nation,

Should teacher quality be so important? — Joanne Jacobs

Should teacher quality be so important? — Joanne Jacobs

Should teacher quality be so important?

by Joanne

Let’s make teacher quality less important, writes Dan Willingham on The Answer Sheet. “Teacher quality is the most important in-school factor that influences kids’ schooling,” he writes.”That’s important because it’s pretty hard to change characteristics of the child, the family or the neighborhood, whereas educators and politicians can more readily change characteristics of schools.”

We could try to hire better and better teachers to replace those who are unsatisfactory. That’s expensive.

Willingham prefers to make teaching more consistent so the “characteristics of individual teachers wouldn’t matter so much.”

For example, we might try to make teaching more consistent by improving teacher preparation.Right now, teacher preparation just doesn’t matter very much. Most teachers say that it didn’t help them, and there is scant evidence that the type of training teachers receive has much impact on

What’s a credit worth?

by Joanne

What’s a credit worth? Traditionally, professors decide how much credit to award. The U.S. Education Department’s definition of the credit hour is “misguided,” argues

Layoffs hit LAUSD support staff - LA Daily News

Layoffs hit LAUSD support staff - LA Daily News

Layoffs hit LAUSD support staff

JOBS: Many others will be moved to new positions.

By Melissa Pamer, Staff Writer

Posted: 10/19/2010 06:05:25 AM PDT

Updated: 10/19/2010 06:06:53 AM PDT

Nearly a thousand support staff in the Los Angeles Unified School District will soon lose their jobs, while more than three times as many will be forced to transfer to new positions in an upheaval that one official termed "musical chairs."

So-called reduction-in-force notices were sent out to about 4,600 classified staff on Friday, district officials said. Of those workers, about 990 were told they will be laid off Nov. 30.

The remaining personnel were ordered to report to new work sites - and in many cases to fulfill different duties at a lower salary or for fewer hours - on Dec. 1.

Employees ranging from office technicians and cafeteria workers to custodians to secretaries are affected.

The mid-semester tumult likely will be widespread at each of the district's more than 800 campuses, as well as local district offices and downtown headquarters, said LAUSD interim Personnel Director Ann Young-Havens.

Education Research Report: Closing the talent gap: Attracting and retaining top third graduates to a career in teaching

Education Research Report: Closing the talent gap: Attracting and retaining top third graduates to a career in teaching

Closing the talent gap: Attracting and retaining top third graduates to a career in teaching

by Jonathan Kantrowitz

Ω

Improving teacher effectiveness to lift student achievement has become a major theme in U.S. education. Most efforts focus on improving the effectiveness of teachers already in the classroom or on retaining the best performers and dismissing the least effective. Attracting more young people with stronger academic backgrounds to teaching has received comparatively little attention.

In a new report, “Closing the Talent Gap: Attracting and Retaining Top-Third Graduates to Careers in Teaching,”McKinsey & Co. reviews the experiences of the top-performing systems in the world—Singapore, Finland, and South Korea. These countries recruit, develop, and retain the leading academic talent as one of their central

The University of California Abandons an Ideal � Student Activism

The University of California Abandons an Ideal � Student Activism

The University of California Abandons an Ideal

by Angus Johnston

The Regents of the University of California will soon be considering a governance change that’s as overdue as it is depressing — changing the formal title of students’ payments from “fees” to “tuition.”

For most of the history of the University UC was free or nearly so. The system was created in 1868, but as late as 1956 the student fee stood at less than $100 a year. The state was committed to the principle that, as the university’s 1960 Master Plan had put it, UC would always be “tuition free to all residents of the state,” with teaching expenses absorbed by the taxpayer and fees representing “charges to the students for services not directly related to instruction, such as health, counseling … placement services, housing, recreation, and the like.”

Fees rose to $600 a year by the mid-seventies, and spiked again in the early eighties, but the increases were modest compared to what would come later. The 1956 fee had amounted to $656 in today’s dollars, while the the 1990 fee was worth $2362 in present-day money.)

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: “Every School Affected”: NEARLY 1000 LAUSD WORKERS WILL LOSE JOBS ON NOV. 30

4LAKids - some of the news that doesn't fit: “Every School Affected”: NEARLY 1000 LAUSD WORKERS WILL LOSE JOBS ON NOV. 30

“Every School Affected”: NEARLY 1000 LAUSD WORKERS WILL LOSE JOBS ON NOV. 30

BY MELISSA PAMER - STAFF WRITER | DAILY BREEZE/L.A. NEWSPAPER GROUP | HTTP://BIT.LY/BLIHMZ

10-19-2010 - Nearly a thousand support staff in the Los Angeles Unified School District will soon lose their jobs, while more than three times as many will be forced to transfer to new positions in an upheaval that one official termed "musical chairs."

So-called reduction-in-force notices were sent out to about 4,600 classified staff on Friday, district officials said. Of those workers, about 990 were told they will be laid off Nov. 30.

The remaining personnel were ordered to report to new work sites - and in many cases to fulfill different duties at a lower salary or for fewer hours - on Dec. 1.

Employees ranging from office technicians and cafeteria workers to custodians to secretaries are affected.

The midsemester tumult likely will be widespread at each of the district's more than 800 campuses, as well as local district offices and downtown headquarters, said

This Week In Education: AM News: Technical Assistance Company Made $40M On RTTT

This Week In Education: AM News: Technical Assistance Company Made $40M On RTTT

AM News: Technical Assistance Company Made $40M On RTTT

by Alexander Russo

Politics, alleged conflict at center of state supreme court case over charter school funding Atlanta Journal Constitution: With Georgia's reputation as a leading education reformer on the line, the state's highest court will rule in the coming months on the tug-of-war over power and money that has pitted seven school districts against the state in a fight over local control. The case has already raised a question over fair play... Students Explain Science Experiments to President Obama: President Obama honored these and other students at the first-ever White House Science Fair on Monday, kicking off a week of events focused on science, math, engineering and technology (STEM) education. The award-winning projects were plucked from a series of nationwide

Questioning the Teacher Quality Orthodoxy � The Core Knowledge Blog

Questioning the Teacher Quality Orthodoxy � The Core Knowledge Blog

Questioning the Teacher Quality Orthodoxy

by Robert Pondiscio

Teachers might be the most important in-school factor in student achievement, but is that necessarily a good thing? Dan Willingham’s latest at the Washington Post Answer Sheet blog notes that when teachers are viewed as the essential ingredient in reform models, the impetus is to fire unsatisfactory teachers and hire better ones. “I’m no economist, but [...]

Edupundit Myopia

by Robert Pondiscio

“The consensus among Edupundits is that teacher quality is the most important variable in student academic achievement,” writes Will Fitzhugh, the founder of the Concord Review. “Meanwhile, practically all of them fail to give any attention to the basic purpose of schools, which is to have students do academic work. Almost none of them seems [...]

Robots, Solar Cars and Rockets at the White House Science Fair – ED.gov Blog

Robots, Solar Cars and Rockets at the White House Science Fair – ED.gov Blog

Robots, Solar Cars and Rockets at the White House Science Fair

Cross-posted from the White House blog.

Middle school and high school students from across the country descended on the State Dining Room at the White House today with their award-winning science fair projects in tow. From a robot that plays soccer to a smart toilet that conserves water and an innovative approach to treating cancer, these student projects represent most cutting edge science, technology and engineering.

The White House Science Fair is part of President Obama’s Educate to Innovate program move American students from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math achievement over the next decade. The President has made STEM education a priority for his Administration—recognizing that that a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and math is key for laying the foundation for our future prosperity.

Before making remarks in the East Room, President Obama took a minute to check out the projects at the Science Fair and congratulate the students on their impressive achievements. The President also stressed the importance of inspiring students to excel in STEM subjects:

The importance of tapping this potential is why we’re here. It’s why I wanted to host this fair, which culminates this weekend in a science and engineering festival on the National Mall and across the country where more than a million people are expected to participate.

So we welcome championship sports teams to the White House to celebrate their victories. I’ve had the Lakers here. I’ve had the Saints here, the Crimson Tide. I thought we ought to do the same thing for the winners of science fair and robotic contests, and math competitions. (Applause.) Because often we don’t give these victories the attention that they deserve. And when you win first place at a science fair, nobody is rushing the field or dumping Gatorade over your head. (Laughter.) But in many ways, our future depends on what happens in those contests—what happens when a young person is engaged in conducting an experiment, or writing a piece of software, or solving a hard math problem, or designing a new gadget.

It’s in these pursuits that talents are discovered and passions are lit, and the future scientists, engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs are born. That’s what’s going to help ensure that we succeed in the next century, that we’re leading the world in developing the technologies, businesses and industries of the future.

The President reflected on the importance of science and innovation in the course of American history:

We can think of Einstein, Edison, Franklin, Tesla, and the founders of Google and Apple and Microsoft. But now we’ve got some other people to think about—like Mikayla Nelson, who’s here today. Where’s Mikayla? Is she here? There she is, right there. (Applause.) Mikayla—I had a chance to—Mikayla is from Billings, Montana. She works with an entire team—I’m sorry to embarrass you here, Mikayla. (Laughter.) She’s like, “Oh, God, he called on me.” (Laughter.)
She’s representing Will James Middle School. She and her classmates built a solar-powered car that won the design award in the National Science Bowl. She’s in 9th grade. She’s already trying to earn a pilot’s license, and she’s working on building an actual plane. She wants to be an engineer. There’s no doubt we can expect great things from her.

We can think of Diego Vazquez and Antonio Hernandez, representing Cesar Chavez High School in Phoenix. Where are those guys? I met them earlier. There they are, right there. (Applause.) They developed a new motorized chair to help a classmate with disabilities—and won a grant competition as a result. They did not have a lot of money to do this. They didn’t have a lot of advantages in life. In fact, the first time they were ever on an airplane was when they flew to present their invention. But they did have a desire to work together to help a friend and to build something that never existed before.

And by the way, the way they funded their project—they had—they and their folks made tamales. They had a huge tamale-making session and were selling them. And they were showing me the video of how they raised the funds to be able to enter in this competition. Unbelievable.

That’s not just the power of science. That’s the promise of America. Anybody with a good idea can prosper. Anybody with talent can succeed. That’s why we’re here today. That’s what we’re all celebrating. And that’s why it’s so important that we promote math education and science education, on behalf of not just this generation but all the generations to follow.

This Week In Education: Blogs: Corrections And Self-Reflection

This Week In Education: Blogs: Corrections And Self-Reflection

Blogs: Corrections And Self-Reflection

by Alexander Russo

A couple of things you'd never get from many of today's "never wrong" education blogs and commentators: a correction and an admission of uncertainty:

DailyKos's TeacherKen says he got a Mathematic study on KIPP schools

Quote: "This Is Not A War On Teachers"

by Alexander Russo

This is not a war on teachers en masse. It is recognition of what every parent knows: Some teachers are exceptional, but a small number are dreadful. - Eric Hanushek

A Manifesto by the Powerful - Bridging Differences - Education Week

A Manifesto by the Powerful - Bridging Differences - Education Week

A Manifesto by the Powerful

by Diane Ravitch

Dear Deborah,

I am sure that you must have seen the "manifesto" published in The Washington Post and signed by 16 school superintendents. It was titled "How to Fix Our Schools: A Manifesto by Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee and other education leaders."

The responses to this article have been fascinating. Some have criticized the use of the term "manifesto," because a manifesto is usually a declaration of belief by those who are out of power, not by those who hold power. Think, for example, of the Declaration of Independence as a manifesto, though certainly it outclasses the superintendents' manifesto in gravity and significance! Then there is the Communist Manifesto, which sought to rally the workers of the world to take power. Then there was the Unabomber Manifesto, a screed against technology by deranged mathematician Ted Kaczynski, who managed to kill three people and maim 23 others. In 1962, student activists issued the Port Huron Statement, the manifesto of the Students for a Democratic Society, which called upon the youth of their generation to act against social injustice.

The superintendents' manifesto does not come from the powerless. It was written by men and women who are in charge of major school systems and who certainly have far more power than parents, teachers, principals, o

In Chicago Tribune interview, Rahm Emanuel says he wants private money to help Chicago schools - chicagotribune.com

In Chicago Tribune interview, Rahm Emanuel says he wants private money to help Chicago schools - chicagotribune.com

Emanuel champions private funds for school reform, O'Hare expansion but is mum on other hot-button issues

In interview with Chicago Tribune, unofficial mayoral candidate says: 'Let's raise a ton of money for school reform right here on our own Chicago version of Race to the Top'

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By John Chase and Kristen Mack, Tribune reporters

9:44 p.m. CDT, October 18, 2010

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Rahm Emanuel wants to raise private money to fix public schools and continue the aggressive expansion of O'Hare International Airport. But he's not ready to address some of the other sticky issues he faces in his run for Chicago mayor.

The former fundraiser for Mayor Richard Daley and architect of the Democrats' 2006 takeover of Congress is carefully controlling the early stages of his campaign to replace Daley. He hasn't made a formal announcement, instead opting for a listening tour designed to maximize photo opportunities.

When he sat down for an interview with the Tribune on Monday, he made it clear his goal was to pitch part of his education platform in advance of a weeklong tour of city schools. But he wasn't interested in addressing other issues ranging from his political history to his plans for the city's out-of-control budget.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you. I'm trying to talk about education. … I'm not going to just lay out an