Friday, October 29, 2010

I'm Shocked, Shocked—Well, a Bit Surprised—That the UCEA's Standing Behind Its "Enemies List" :: Frederick M. Hess

I'm Shocked, Shocked—Well, a Bit Surprised—That the UCEA's Standing Behind Its "Enemies List"

by Frederick M. Hess • Oct 29, 2010 at 8:43 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

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As luck would have it, I'm down here in New Orleans, and the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) is holding its annual conference just a few blocks away. I'm even invited to a Saturday breakfast for an advisory board I sit on. This is all mildly ironic because, for those who read Tuesday's post on the "Enemies List" that ran in the most recent UCEA Review, I was deemed the fifth most significant enemy of public school leadership in the U.S. (For those who missed all this, check out Tuesday's RHSU post here and then UNC-Chapel Hill professor Fenwick English's article "The 10 Most Wanted Enemies of American Public Education's School Leadership.")

The significant thing about this is that English is a serious figure in the world of educational leadership. He's a former president of the UCEA and editor of the Encyclopedia of Educational Administration. The UCEA is the leading organization for the study of educational leadership; it includes about 80 university members, including

Christie Formally Offers Rhee Education Commissioner Job

Christie Makes Formal Job Offer To Rhee

Rhee Is Former Chancellor Of D.C. Schools

Updated: Friday, 29 Oct 2010, 6:02 AM EDT

PHILADELPHIA - New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has made a formal job offer to Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., to become the Garden State's next education commissioner, a radio station is reporting.

New Jersey 101.5-FM News Director Eric Scott spoke on the phone with "Good Day" about the story early Friday morning.

The biggest issue may be that Rhee is engaged to the mayor of Sacramento, Calif., and had previously indicated a desire to move out west.

But they've had a lot of talks, there has been a lot of communication, and high-ranking sources within the administration say Christie has placed a call to tell Rhee the job is hers if she'll take it.

Neither Christie nor Rhee has confirmed the offer was made.

NYC education chancellor: U.S. schools ‘in crisis’ - The Brown Daily Herald

NYC education chancellor: U.S. schools ‘in crisis’

Kat Thornton

Contributing Writer

Published: Friday, October 29, 2010

Hilary Rosenthal / Herald

Joel Klein oversees over 1 million students as chancellor of the New York City Department of Education.

Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, is not quite sure how he got his job, or how he has kept it for eight years. The nontraditional education reformer spoke Thursday about the problems in the American education system, and the difficult, but necessary, task of improvement.

Klein's speech, delivered to a crowded Salomon 101, was the latest installment of the Noah Krieger '93 Lecture Series. Marion Orr, director of the Taubman Center for Public Policy, introduced Klein as the guy who has the "tough job" of overseeing 1.1 million students, 136,000 employees and a $21 billion budget.

NJ Spotlight | North Brunswick School Superintendent to Head Education Effectiveness Task Force

North Brunswick School Superintendent to Head Education Effectiveness Task Force
Brian Zychowsky to lead team tasked with devising statewide system for evaluating teachers and principals

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By John Mooney, October 29 in Education |1 Comment

Brian Zychowsky was an intriguing choice to lead Gov. Chris Christie’s new task force charged with devising a statewide system for evaluating teachers and principals.

At one point said to have been on Christie’s short list to be state education commissioner, the North Brunswick school superintendent said he’s open to the ideas of merit pay for teachers and better ways of linking teacher performance with student performance.

“I do think there is a value to rewarding teachers who make a difference,” he said yesterday.

Then it gets complicated. North Brunswick uses a hybrid evaluation system that includes teachers documenting their own and their students’ progress.

And for any system like this to work statewide, Zychowsky said the state would need accurate and

Searching for Services for Adult Autistic Children
As adult autistic children age out of the school system, their families are learning there are virtually no day programs for them

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By Bev McCarron, October 29 in Preview |Post a Comment

Cathy Douma’s autistic son has languished for five years on a state priority list for housing for developmentally disabled adults. She got a status letter recently. Jeffrey, 26, is number 2,395.

“When my husband and I die, what will happen?” worries Douma, of Morris Township, who is in her late 50s.

Douma's concerns are shared by many New Jersey parents whose adult autistic children are aging out of the public school system in record numbers, but still need help managing day to day.

Her fears are well-grounded.

Parents say, and the state readily acknowledges, that because of high demand, and the cost of providing such services, there aren’t enough day programs for autistic adults, for whom a rigidly

Shanker Blog � How Deep is the Teacher Bench?

HOW DEEP IS THE TEACHER BENCH?

by Matthew Di Carlo

On most sports teams, coaches assess players in part by considering who is available to replace them. Teams with “deep benches” have more leeway in making personnel changes, because quality replacements are available.

The same goes for teaching. Those who aggressively wish to start firing larger numbers of teachers every year rely on an obvious but critical assumption (often unstated): that schools and districts can find better replacements.

In other words, it is both counterproductive (and very expensive) to fire teachers if you can’t replace them with a more effective alternative. Even those few commentators who have addressed this matter sometimes ignore another important fact: The teacher labor market is about to change dramatically, with a massive wave of

APNewsBreak: University posts info of 40K students - Boston.com

APNewsBreak: University posts info of 40K students

By Jaymes Song

Associated Press Writer / October 29, 2010

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HONOLULU—The Social Security numbers, grades and other personal information of more than 40,000 former University of Hawaii students were posted online for nearly a year before being removed this week, The Associated Press has learned.

University officials told the AP that a faculty member inadvertently uploaded files containing the information to an unprotected server on Nov. 30, 2009, exposing the names, academic performance, disabilities and other sensitive information of 40,101 students who attended the flagship Manoa campus from 1990 to 1998 and in 2001. A handful of students from the West Oahu campus were included in the security breach.

UH-West Oahu spokesman Ryan Mielke said there was no evidence that

GLOBE EDUCATION NEWS

As Framingham High stages controversial play, a teachable moment

Framingham High School’s drama director says that when she planned to produce “The Laramie Project,’’ she knew she was asking a lot of the community. The play examines the response in Laramie, Wyo., to the 1998 torture and murder of a 21-year-old gay man, Matthew Shepard. (By Megan McKee, Globe Correspondent)

Essex County program sneaks culture, learning into summer fun

Jonathan Paschal, 12, and his brother Jordan, 6, were dropped off each day over the summer at the Children’s Center in Methuen, but that wasn’t always where they stayed. (By Karen Sackowitz, Globe Correspondent)

Middlesex DA investigates reports of bullying at Groton School

The Middlesex district attorney’s office is investigating reports of bullying at the Groton School involving an incident after which one of the alleged bullies killed himself because he had been pressured to leave the school, according to the boy’s father. (By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff)

Stoughton teachers blast superintendent’s contract extension

Stoughton teachers are continuing to blast a lengthy contract extension given to the district superintendent, a pact that binds the school chief to the system for the next 5 1/2 years. (By Rich Fahey, Globe Correspondent)

New student card: Big benefit or Big Brother?

The hope is that the card will open an array of city services to students and reduce their absenteeism; the fear is that the new data it provides to city officials could be abused for less educational purposes. (By David Abel, Globe Staff)

Hip-hop Berkeley prof. battles chemical company | California Watch

Hip-hop Berkeley prof. battles chemical company

by Erica Perez

Erica Perez

Allies of Syngenta, a company that produces a ubiquitous but controversial herbicide, have continued attacks on UC Berkeley Professor Tyrone Hayes, a leading critic of the chemical who has fought the company through outrageous e-mails laced with rap lyrics, original rhymes and raunchy put-downs.

Critiques of Hayes' research on the herbicide atrazine have shown up in recent months in the Center for Global Food Issues [PDF], a project of the conservative Hudson Institute, Hoosier Ag Today, and debunkosaurus.

Meanwhile, UC Berkeley has defended the professor's free speech rights. Hayes is preparing to submit a new

Voter Guide: Whitman, Brown differ on education reform

by Stephanie Rice

Stephanie Rice

Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown both say reforming the state’s beleaguered education system is a top priority, but they have very different proposals for getting there.

California Watch has been tracking every statement, promise, prediction and deflection by Whitman and Brown over at Politics Verbatim. This post is the last in a series that is using those records to lay out each candidate's stance on a specific issue in detail.

On K-12 education:

The candidates agree that the state’s bureaucratic funding system, currently broken into 60 categories, needs to

Pair accused of broadcasting Tyler Clementi's sexual enounter leave Rutgers - NorthJersey.com

Pair accused of broadcasting Tyler Clementi's sexual enounter leave Rutgers

Friday, October 29, 2010

THE RECORD

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW BRUNSWICK — Two Rutgers University freshmen have withdrawn from the school after they were accused of webcasting a classmate having sex with a man.

Attorney Steven Altman says that means Dharun Ravi and Molly Wei will not face university disciplinary hearings.

Altman, who represents Ravi, told The Home News Tribune of East Brunswick his client plans to attend school somewhere else.

Wei's attorney, Rubin Sinins, told The Star-Ledger of Newark his client feared for her safety.

Ravi and Wei were charged with

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Friday, October 29, 2010