Schools Matter: Is there a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) crisis?

Schools Matter: Is there a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) crisis?:

Is there a STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) crisis?

by skrashen

It is not clear that there is a STEM shortage, Some analysts, in fact, have claimed that there is a surplus of STEM-trained professionals (Teitelbaum, 2007; Toppo and Vergano, 2009; Bracey, 2009.)

A report of the World Economic Federation (Schwab, 2012) confirms that there is no crisis. The US ranks near the top of the world on all categories related to STEM education and availability of expertise: According to the World Economic Federation, the US ranks 5th out of 144 countries in "availability of scientists & engineers," is tied for 5th in "quality of scientific research institutions," ranks 3rd in "university-industry research collaboration” and ranks 7th “capacity for innovation,” which means that American innovation comes largely from research efforts done in the US.

Only three countries ranked in the top ten in all four of these categories: Sweden, Israel, and the US. China 

Flunking Charter Schools » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

Flunking Charter Schools » Counterpunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names:

Greed at the Top in Education

Flunking Charter Schools

by PAUL BUCHHEIT

Now we know our ABCs. And charter schools get an F.

The Chicago teacher strike is over, but the assault on our nation’s children has just begun. As with all free market systems, the price is set high enough to ensure a profit for the companies doing business, even though not everyone will be able to afford their product.

With our private health care system, 1 out of 6 Americans are uninsured. It’s frightening to think of a private educational system in which 1 out of 6 children have to settle for an inferior education.

We’ve learned a lot in recent years from the struggles within our schools. Here are three sensible considerations for anyone involved in the education of our children.

A. Assessment of Teachers? Before Hiring, Not After.

It’s nearly impossible to judge the long-term effectiveness of any one teacher, given the incalculable variables of student demographics and school funding. And independent-thinking Americans are reluctant to 

NEWS FLASH: Arbitrator rules against Malloy Administration on significant retirement issue - Wait, What?

NEWS FLASH: Arbitrator rules against Malloy Administration on significant retirement issue - Wait, What?:

NEWS FLASH: Arbitrator rules against Malloy Administration on significant retirement issue

by jonpelto

Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed, word is spreading that the Malloy Administration has lost a massive arbitration ruling today.

Last summer, the Connecticut State Employees Bargaining Agent Coalition (SEBAC) filed a grievance against the Malloy Administration with the Connecticut Board of Labor Relations.

The complaint revolved around the Malloy Administration’s unilateral decision to
offer to certain employees the ability to retire with 25 years of service regardless of age.”  According to labor unions, Malloy’s representatives made this offer without fulfilling their bargaining responsibility with SEBAC and without making it available to all state employees.

At the time, SEBAC challenged Malloy’s action because it was;

Seattle Schools Community Forum: BEX IV Meeting tonight at Madison

Seattle Schools Community Forum: BEX IV Meeting tonight at Madison:

BEX IV Meeting tonight at Madison

by Charlie Mas

School District officials bring their BEX IV road show to Madison Middle School in West Seattle tonight. The event begins at 6:30 with introductions and their slide presentation. They also have a handout. Followed by twenty minutes of Q & A from cards, twenty minutes of Q & A from the floor, and twenty minutes of "Individual Time With Staff".

I hope to be there tonight because I have some questions

Slide 11 of the slideshow "BEX IV Capital Levy: Addressing Challenges in Every Region" says that they will use BEX IV to "Provide equitable program distribution including Accelerated Progress Program (APP), STEM, International Education, etc." How will they do this when the new Board Policy 2200, Equitable access to programs and services, puts the creation and relocation of STEM and international education programs outside district level authority?

The handout shows the intention of creating an additional 366 seats for The NOVA Project. Added to the current 

Seattle Schools Week of Sept. 24-29, 2012

by Melissa Westbrook

Lots happening this week in SPS.

Monday, Sep 24th

• BEX IV levy discussion from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave SW

Tuesday, Sep. 25th

• Community Meeting with Director McLaren from 1:15-3:15 p.m. at Delridge Library, 5423 Delridge Way SW

Wednesday, Sep. 26th

• Two- Hour Early Dismissal

• Work Session on Budget Goals from 4-5:30 p.m.

• Closed Session on Labor

NYC Public School Parents: Education Nation ignores parents but we make our voices heard at the premiere of "Won't Back Down"

NYC Public School Parents: Education Nation ignores parents but we make our voices heard at the premiere of "Won't Back Down":

Education Nation ignores parents but we make our voices heard at the premiere of "Won't Back Down"

by Leonie Haimson

Yesterday was NBC's Education Nation's "parent engagement" town hall, which turned out

Real-life public school parents

to be nothing but a big infomercial for the controversial film  "Won't Back Down" promoting the "Parent Trigger" and the privatization of our public schools. (See our review of the film and our FAQ about its backers and their political agenda.) The Education Nation parent engagement panels featured the stars of the film, along with privateers Michelle Rhee and Joel Klein, two people who have never shown any  interest in parent empowerment. 

Diane in the Afternoon 9-24-12 Diane Ravitch's blog

Diane Ravitch's blog:

Why Great Hearts Appeals to Affluent Parents

by dianerav

A reader sent a blog post from Arizona, where the Great Hearts charter school chain is based.
This is the charter that Tennessee Commissioner Kevin Huffman wants to bring to Nashville, over the opposition of the local school board.
It is expensive to go to Great Hearts. The school asks parents for an upfront contribution (voluntary, of course), of $1200-1500. Then there are extra costs for books, supplies, physical education.
But it is still less costly than paying for private school tuition. So it is entirely understandable that white, affluent parents would want to bring Great Hearts to their neighborhood in Nashville.

With Friends Like These, Who Needs Enemies?

by dianerav

Joel Shatzky taught English for many years at the State University of New York at Cortlandt.
He sent the following reflections about the political quandary of teachers:

What has become increasingly baffling to me amidst the many controversies engendered by the misnamed “school reform movement” is that the one most reliable union group to back and help Democratic candidates get elected is being savaged by Democrats. The teachers strike in Chicago was waged against a Democratic mayor who had been President Obama’s chief of staff and a principal fund raiser for Obama’s re-election. The strike illustrates the point: with friends like that, who needs enemies? In New York the “progressive” Bloomberg 

This Parent Is Opting Out Tonight

by dianerav

Good luck to the parent who wrote to say that she is opting her children out of the standardized testing. More such courage and the reign of error will collapse.
I’m a parent. I will inform the Pittsburgh Public School Board at a Public Hearing tonight of my intention to exercise my right to OPT my children OUT. I will let them know that I refuse to stand by and watch diminished funds spent on more standardized testing (Pittsburgh Public Schools has added standardized tests for students 

What is the Mind Trust (part 2)

by dianerav

I wrote a post about the Mind Trust the other day, having realized that it is part of the faux reform movement intent on privatizing public education in Indiana.
Quite by coincidence, the great education writer Karen Francisco at the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette wrote a piece about the Mind Trust on exactly the same day.
She points out that their modus operandi–right out of the ALEC playbook–is to bypass democracy and local 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Matt Farmer still on Rahm's trail at Clemente

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Matt Farmer still on Rahm's trail at Clemente:

Matt Farmer still on Rahm's trail at Clemente

by Mike Klonsky

Matt Farmer

No topic has generated more heat and less light in the comments section of SmallTalk, than the Rahm/Brizard move to turn Clemente Community Academy High School into a "wall-to-wall" International Baccalaureate (IB) school. It was a move that led to the firing by new turn-around principal Marcey Sorensen, of some 24 Clemente teachers.

It also led public school parent, lawyer, and community activist Matt Farmer to pursue the paper trail leading to the IB conversion. Sensing something fishy here, he filed  an FOIA request on June 27 which of course was stonewalled by CPS. 

SAT Results for 2012 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education)

SAT Results for 2012 - Year 2012 (CA Dept of Education):

Latinos Now Account for Largest Share of SAT® Scores
in California, State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Notes

SACRAMENTO—SAT® results released today by The College Board show that for the first time, Latino students in California public* schools represented a larger percentage of SAT test-takers than any other ethnic group.

Reflecting the state’s growing diversity, nearly 70 percent of California’s public school test-takers in the Class of 2012 were minority students, and of those, 36 percent—or 69,832 students—were Latino. This compares to 29 percent—or 56,590 test-takers—who were white; 22 percent—or 42,121 test-takers—who were Asian; and 7 percent—or 13,101 test-takers—who were African American.

"It’s wonderful to see the diversity of California reflected among our highest-achieving students and those who have their sights set on a college education," Torlakson said.

Nearly half of public school SAT takers in California reported that English was not exclusively their first language and that their parents’ highest level of education was a high school diploma or less.

Some 194,425 California public school students—or 50 percent—of seniors in this year’s class took the test at some point during their high school careers, which is a 2 percentage-point gain from last year and an 8 percentage-point gain over 10 years, The College Board data showed.

Nationally, 1,664,479 members of the class of 2012 (of which 1,284,459 attended public schools) took the SAT, considered a precursor to college admission. Statewide, a total of 231,964 students attending either public or private California high schools took the test.

Among California public school students in 2012 compared to last year, the mean writing score decreased 3 points to 491; the mean critical reading scores dropped 3 points to 491, and the mean math score dropped 3 points to 510.

The increase in the participation rate may have resulted in the decline of the mean scores, The College Board said.

Students from the California class of 2012 who took the SAT and/or SAT Subject Tests™ sent score reports to a total of 2,823 institutions, and 58 percent of students indicated they planned to attain a bachelor’s or a master’s degree, while 23 percent would like to attain a doctoral degree.

More information is available on The College Board and the SAT  Web site

SAT results at the county, district, and school levels are not a part of today’s national release but will be available later this year on the CDE Postsecondary Preparation Web page.

* Please note that nearly all of the statistics used in this CDE News Release are taken from California public school results only.

Related Content

• Postsecondary Preparation - Provides standardized test results from the SAT Test, ACT Test, and the AP Tests which measure high school students' achievement.

# # # #

Tom Torlakson — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5206, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100

Grazer Outstanding Achievement in Learning

GOAL Award background information and application.

---

The California Advisory Commission on Special Education (ACSE) wishes to recognize programs and practices in the field of special education that could benefit other students with disabilities. The Grazer Outstanding Achievement in Learning (GOAL) Award is one of many activities designed to celebrate the professionals, programs, and practices in California that serve youth with disabilities of all ages.

Why the name GOAL?

The name GOAL serves a dual purpose. First, the name symbolizes the need to establish both lofty goals and high expectations for all students. Second, the Commission wishes to officially recognize Brian Grazer's family for their ten-year commitment to honor the programs, practices, and professionals recognized by this award.

Who is eligible to apply?

Programs and practices in substantial compliance with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 operated by school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and non-public schools that serve students with disabilities may apply.

What are the selection criteria?

Programs and practices will be judged on a GOAL Award scoring rubric, based on descriptors such as data demonstrating program performance, student achievement, school environment, improved student outcomes and other desired measurable results. Programs and practices should be innovative, exemplary, sustainable, and replicable and should demonstrate satisfaction and participation of students, staff, parents, and community.

Who was awarded the GOAL Award in 2012?

The 2011-12 GOAL Award recognized two special education programs serving students with disabilities:

1. The Learn to Earn secondary transition program for middle and high school students with mild to moderate disabilities, Riverside Unified School District
2. The Speech Improvement Class for students with mild articulation (speech sound) disorders, San Diego Unified School District's Speech-Language Pathology Department

What is the application process?

The application process includes the following:

1. Submit a completed 2012-13 entry form (DOC; Posted 24-Sep-2012) to the Advisory Commission on Special Education at ACSE@cde.ca.gov no later than November 16, 2012, to be eligible.
2. Willingness to host a half-day site visit by the judges, if selected.
3. If selected, program representatives must be available to attend the GOAL Award ceremony in Sacramento.

When is the award ceremony?

This year’s awards ceremony will be held at the California Department of Education on Thursday, May 22, 2013. The ceremony typically starts at 11:00 A.M. with a reception immediately following.

Questions: Kathleen Smith | kasmith@cde.ca.gov | 916-327-3698 

Please help student with high-stakes testing documentary Parents United for Responsible Education

Parents United for Responsible Education » Blog Archive » Please help student with high-stakes testing documentary:

Please help student with high-stakes testing documentary

by admin

I just received this e-mail and am posting it here with permission:
My name is Ankur Singh and I am a recent high school graduate from Bloomington-Normal, IL about 3 hours south of Chicago. I’m making a feature length documentary film about how standardized testing affects students. This film is deeply personal for me since I had a really negative experience with standardized testing and desperately need to find out how other students handle it and show the world’s students that they are not alone. I solely want to focus on the students’ perspective. This film will not include interviews with education experts or teachers, this film is about the students.
I was just wondering if there were any parents who were a part of PURE who have children in Chicago that had a 

The Real Parents Who Won’t Back Down « EdVox

The Real Parents Who Won’t Back Down « EdVox:

The Real Parents Who Won’t Back Down

by edvoxny

Last night, parents held a mock Red Carpet Event outside the world premiere of “Won’t Back Down,” a fictionalized story inspired by California’s Parent Trigger law, legislation which allows parents to vote to close their school or turn it over to a private corporation.
Speaking out against the film, parents walked their own red carpet, held movie posters with superimposed images of two of the film’s prominent supporters, News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch and Joel Klein, and celebrated real parent empowerment in the fight for community schools with a toast.
“I’m the real Maggie Gyllenhaal” said Tanya King, grandparent that led the fight to keep ABCD in Bed-Stuy from closing last year, “what we wanted was for the school system to stop neglecting us and invest in our struggling 

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Tribune reports: Rahm taking the charter route on union busting

Schooling in the Ownership Society: Tribune reports: Rahm taking the charter route on union busting:

Tribune reports: Rahm taking the charter route on union busting

by Mike Klonsky

Fred Klonsky toon

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's first attempt at union busting was beaten back by the CTU strike. The union and its community supporters held the line against the assault by corporate "reformers" like Stand For Children and Democrats for Education Reform (DFER). Now the mayor and his patrons are coming at it another way -- with the expansion of privately run, union-free charter schools.

According to the Tribune, CPS officials expect about 53,000 of the district's roughly 400,000 students will attend charter schools this year, and the number of charters will increase to more than 100. The city is aiming to add 

SAT® Report: Only 43 Percent of 2012 College-Bound Seniors Are College Ready:

SAT® Report: Only 43 Percent of 2012 College-Bound Seniors Are College Ready

Report Underscores Importance Of Increasing Rigor In America’s Schools

09/24/2012

NEW YORK — The SAT Report on College & Career Readiness released today revealed that only 43 percent of SAT^® takers in the class of 2012 graduated from high school with the level of academic preparedness associated with a high likelihood of college success. These findings are based on the percentage of students in the class of 2012 who met the SAT College & Career Readiness Benchmark, which research shows is associated with higher rates of enrollment in four-year colleges, higher first-year college GPAs and higher rates of retention beyond the first year.

“This report should serve as a call to action to expand access to rigor for more students,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “Our nation’s future depends on the strength of our education system. When less than half of kids who want to go to college are prepared to do so, that system is failing. We must make education a national priority and deliver rigor to more students.”

SAT Benchmark

Among the high school class of 2012, 43 percent of all SAT takers met the SAT College & Career Readiness Benchmark. This percentage is 

FCMAT » Cali Education Headlines Monday, September 24, 2012

FCMAT » Fiscal Crisis & Management Assistance Team:

Education Headlines

Monday, September 24, 2012

Shrinking pool of future teachers worries state

The number of people in California who are studying to become teachers has fallen by more than a third since the onset of the recession, and that's not good for the state's future, according to state education officials.

Cayucos student shift would drain Coast Union

Cayucos parents who want their kids to attend high school in San Luis Coastal School District instead of in Cambria may have their goal hampered by the financial consequences for Coast Unified School District if the students left.

Opposition growing to making Brand superintendent

The Sweetwater Union High School District board is poised to make former interim Superintendent Ed Brand its permanent chief Monday night, though public opposition is building over that possibility and other names are being mentioned to fill the job temporarily.

Three up, one down for student discipline reforms

Gov. Jerry Brown signed three of the bills calling for alternatives to student suspensions and expulsions, and vetoed a fourth. Two other measures are still awaiting his action.

Brown signs bill spelling out evaluations (for principals)

Without the acrimony and fanfare that doomed a teacher evaluation bill last month, the Legislature with near unanimity passed and Gov. Brown has now signed a milestone principal and teacher evaluation bill.

School district trying online bully reporting system

Students, parents and even community residents have a new, anonymous way to report bullying in the Temecula Valley Unified School District.

Charter schools aren't offering new 'transitional' kindergarten

While confusion continues over whether charter schools need to offer a limited two-year kindergarten program, like other public schools, officials at local charter schools are opting to forgo the program for now.

Modesto area parents opt out, tackle teaching on their own

As neighborhood schools grapple with pared budgets and pressure-cooker tests, not every family shares the strain. For a hardy few, the living room doubles as classroom, and kids drive the curriculum.

Student numbers keep swelling in San Ramon Valley

Although the housing market is doing poorly in many parts of the country, school district officials say people still want to move to the San Ramon Valley, and the school district is a big reason why.

Friday, September 21, 2012

VISTA students scramble to find new schools

Bright and early this morning, Rongwei Huang will head to Stockton Early College Academy, a place that for her, paradoxically, will be both old and new.

Hacienda La Puente teachers at impasse with district over salaries, benefits

The teachers union representing the Hacienda La Puente Unified School District has walked away from the negotiating table and is expected to declare an impasse, union officials said Wednesday.

Treasurer calls for bill to ban costly school bonds

The California Legislature will take up a bill designed to prevent cities from issuing a Poway-style, 40-year bond with an enormous payback, San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister said Thursday.

School districts offer online alternatives

A number of Inland Empire districts have added online programs alongside more traditional brick-and-mortar schools.

Chicago Strike Lessons: Teacher Activists Explain How it was Done - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Chicago Strike Lessons: Teacher Activists Explain How it was Done - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher:

Chicago Strike Lessons: Teacher Activists Explain How it was Done

by Anthony Cody

Follow me on Twitter at @AnthonyCody
Chicago's students and teachers returned to their classrooms last Wednesday, having taught us all some valuable lessons. I spent some time this summer with a couple of teacher activists from the big city, Xian Barrett and Adam Heenan, and they were clear about what was giving them strength. This strike action was not a whim. It was carefully built from the ground up. Today we will take a look at what we can learn from their experience.
In many cities across the country, our unions have practically taken the strike off the table. It is not considered possible, because leaders fear the public will not be supportive. This is easy to understand, because the public has been fed a barrage of anti-union messages for the past few decades. Teacher unions, the largest organized block of workers left, have been the focus of special scorn.

A Federal Education Agenda > Publications > National Affairs

A Federal Education Agenda > Publications > National Affairs:

A Federal Education Agenda

FREDERICK M. HESS and ANDREW P. KELLY

The conservative approach to education policy is nothing if not confused. Conservatives cheer top-down federal standards and accountability while demanding bottom-up parental choice. They call for eliminating the federal Department of Education, but support spending on major federal education programs like Title I aid for disadvantaged students, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and student loans. They treat restoring "local control" as a panacea, while neglecting the fact that "local control" strengthens the grip of teachers' unions. They grumble about the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act, but forget that the legislation passed with solid conservative support. They have applauded components of the Obama administration's education policies, even as those policies have taken federal overreach to new levels.

This incoherence is bad for conservatives and bad for the country. Lacking a sound, focused approach to federal education policy, conservatives have largely ceded the work of reform to progressives, who embrace sweeping national solutions and put unwarranted faith in the wisdom of federal bureaucracies.

This stance has proved to be a liability, and has made it difficult for conservatives to offer much more than shopworn talking points. In May, Mitt Romney released his agenda for K-12 education reform, emphasizing familiar themes: school choice

Challenged by Old Allies, Teachers’ Unions Court G.O.P. - NYTimes.com

Challenged by Old Allies, Teachers’ Unions Court G.O.P. - NYTimes.com:

Teachers’ Unions Court G.O.P.

By MOTOKO RICH

Published: September 24, 2012

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The strike by public school teachers in Chicago this month drew national attention to a fierce debate over the future of education and exposed the ruptured relationship between teachers’ unions and Democrats like Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Related

• What Do Teachers Deserve? In Idaho, Referendum May Offer Answer (September 24, 2012)

• Teachers End Chicago Strike on Second Try (September 19, 2012)

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Over the past few years, lawmakers who have previously been considered solid supporters of teachers’ unions have tangled with them over a national education agenda that includes new performance evaluations based partly on test scores, the overhaul of tenure and the expansion of charter schools.

As these traditional political alliances have shifted, teachers’ unions have pursued some strange bedfellows among lawmakers who would not appear to be natural allies.

In Illinois, the top three recipients of political contributions from the Illinois Education Association this year are