Board Policy Review Committee

Board Policy Review Committee:

"The next meeting is:
Thursday, October 29, 2009 Agenda/Minutes

5:30 p.m.

Serna Center Washington Conference Room

Board of Education Members:

Ellyne Bell and Diana Rodriguez, Co-Chairs"

Special Board Policy Review Committee
October 29, 2009 - 5:30 p.m.
Washington Conference Room

AGENDA

1. Review and approve minutes from previous meetings:
• August 27, 2009

2. New Board Policy 4311.1, Recruitment and Selection
• Review. This policy defines the Board’s authority to recruit and select the Executive Assistant to the Board of Education. This policy is expected to be on the November 5, 2009 Board meeting agenda as a Conference/Action item.

3. BP 7310, Naming of Facility
• Review to determine if current policy and practice needs to be refined to depoliticize.

4. BB 9270, Conflict of Interest
• Review changes to the list of the District’s designated filers. Changes necessitated by District’s recent re-organization.

5. BP1100, Communication With the Public
• Review policy to determine if language regarding Connect Ed/Blackboard Connect should be added.

Next regular meeting date, time and location TBA

Sacramento Press / Sacramento: A City That Works For Everyone: How Does Central Sacramento Work For Families?

Sacramento Press / Sacramento: A City That Works For Everyone: How Does Central Sacramento Work For Families?

On Monday, October 19th, parents of the charter school California Montessori Project (CMP)-Capitol Campus where surprised to learn through a letter from CMP Director, Gary Bowman, that Mr. Raymond, the new Superintendent of the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), was requesting that the Capitol Campus be relocated from the Old Marshall School (2718 G Street), a facility the school had moved into only 3 months prior, because the building was now deemed unsafe.

The Capitol Campus is to be relocated in the Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (in the College Glen area) far from the current location forcing hundreds of families on the roads. Moreover the campus has to leave the premises in a hurry, in the middle of the school year -the move has already been planned for November 11th- even though parents learned through a subsequent letter from Gary Bowman (dated Thursday October 22nd) that there is "no imminent danger" and even though no one has yet seen the full report on which the SCUSD based its decision. Parents were not consulted, either about the time frame or by the choice of the new location.

There is a perception among the parents community that the SCUSD is forcing a hasty decision in order to facilitate some ulterior plan. Read more here

Mayor says task force will pursue new Sacramento sports arena - Latest News - sacbee.com

Mayor says task force will pursue new Sacramento sports arena - Latest News - sacbee.com:

"Mayor Kevin Johnson said today he is forming a task force to explore how to build a new sports arena in Sacramento and will roll out requests for proposals for the project in the coming days.

During a speech on the 25th floor of the U.S. Bank Tower downtown, Johnson outlined his 'rules of the game' for building a new arena. He said he hopes to have a path toward a new facility by the end of the NBA season in the spring."

The White House - Blog Post - Flu.gov Needs You

The White House - Blog Post - Flu.gov Needs You:

"With new content, tools, and resources added daily, Flu.gov provides information on H1N1 and seasonal flu, including symptoms and treatments, vaccines, tips for prevention, and live briefings. At this critical time, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) needs your help in informing the public about this valuable resource. Here are some simple things you can do to promote Flu.gov:

Provide links from your website or blog to Flu.gov.

Adding links to your homepage or health-related web pages is an easy way for you to direct users to Flu.gov for important H1N1 and seasonal flu information. The Flu.gov site provides information for parents, health care providers, government organizations, schools, businesses and more. It also includes interactive tools for evaluating flu-like symptoms and -- coming soon – more information about vaccination clinic locations. There is also a handy myths and facts section where you can check and see if what your friend and neighbors are telling you about the flu and the flu vaccine is correct and in line with the latest guidance from the CDC, the FDA and NIH."

More Public Voice in Government-Rescued Companies

More Public Voice in Government-Rescued Companies:

"“Taxpayers instinctively continue to dislike the idea that their tax dollars have been used to bail out Wall Street as Main Street continues to suffer,” said Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY) at a Center for American Progress event on September 16, which was one year to the day of the AIG rescue. Towns shared the public’s outrage that their tax dollars were used to save large companies such as AIG, CitiGroup, and General Motors from bankruptcy. The bailouts also lacked transparency and accountability measures so the public could see that their interests were being protected."

Towns praised a paper from Emma Coleman Jordan, professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, which was released at the event and proposes placing public directors on the boards of private entities that receive substantial public funds. Jordan asserted that placing government officials on the boards of rescued companies would make the companies accountable to the public and ensure that funds are being appropriately spent.

Towns compared the public’s investments to those of Warren Buffet and asked, “Would Warren Buffet invest billions of dollars in a company without getting a seat on the board?” The answer was an unequivocal “no.”

Byron Georgiou of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission—the group charged with investigating the causes of the collapse of each major financial institution—thought that Jordan’s proposal was sound if taxpayers were considered to be investors in the traditional sense, like Buffet. However, he questioned whether taxpayers were really just donating money to financial institutions and making the judgment that they had to save the institutions because they were “too big to fail.”

A Place Called Home

A Place Called Home:

"A Place Called Home is a dynamic, non-profit youth center located in South Central Los Angeles. APCH provides educational programs, counseling, mentoring, music, dance and art classes. We also have a recreation and athletic department. One on one attention is at the heart of all APCH programs and activities. This reflects the belief that each member arrives at our center with skills and abilities that have not fully been realized. As youth participate in our programs, they discover their interests and talents. APCH strives to help youth achieve a better sense of themselves and the world around them. Our goal is to increase the likelihood that they will stay in school and go on to higher education and viable jobs.

Please find yourselves at home at A Place Called Home and feel free to contact us to find out how you can make a difference too! Click here to see for yourself everything that A Place Called Home does for our kids."

Arianna Huffington: Making An Impact: Help a Kid Take the Leap from the Mean Streets of L.A. to a College Campus

Arianna Huffington: Making An Impact: Help a Kid Take the Leap from the Mean Streets of L.A. to a College Campus:

"When we launched HuffPost Impact, our new section devoted to service, causes, and giving back, I wrote about my longstanding (and, now, finally realized) desire to put the spotlight -- 24/7 -- on the work of nonprofit groups in a way that enables people to be inspired and immediately take action to address the urgent needs in our society.
To this end, we have decided to regularly feature nonprofit groups that are working in the trenches every day to help turn people's lives around."

To kick things off, I've decided to pick an organization very close to my heart, A Place Called Home.
A Place Called Home is a remarkable place, with a remarkable backstory.

Back in the early 90s, Debrah Constance was a successful real estate agent, earning over $100,000 a year. She also had a serious drinking problem, for which she was eventually hospitalized. Her recovery inspired her to find a new focus for her life: service.

Determined to make her life about something larger than herself, she met with a consultant for nonprofits who stopped her in her tracks by asking: "What do you really want to do with your life?"

The answer came to her in an instant: "All I want to do is open a safe house for children who live around Jefferson High School, in South Central Los Angeles, where they can get off the street, get a healthy snack, watch TV and do their homework."

The next day, she told her boss she was quitting. He gave her six months severance pay and an office. Six months later, she opened A Place Called Home (APCH).

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/making-an-impact-help-a-k_b_318420.html

Teacher Magazine: Making Professional Development an Inside Job

Teacher Magazine: Making Professional Development an Inside Job

Making Professional Development an Inside Job
By Anthony Cody

Why is it that school districts continue to hire outside consultants to conduct professional development when local classroom teachers often have greater levels of expertise?

Twice in the past two months I have participated in teacher professional development sessions where outside consultants were brought in to share innovative practices with teachers who teach in struggling urban districts. In the first case, I was one of the outsiders. In the second, I was among the participants. In both scenarios, I felt the districts involved were missing a big chance to strengthen local leadership.

In the first instance, I was part of team brought to a district to work with teachers on a Problem-Based Learning approach. The district leadership had decided this was how they wanted teachers to spend the two days prior to the start of school. So we shared an overview to PBL and went to work with teams of teachers broken out in five different classrooms. I was a bit taken aback when the classroom to which we had been sent filled up with teachers but nobody stepped forward to convene the work. The district curriculum administrator had to come around to each of the five classrooms to get us started.

Montgomery County residents fight school's closure - washingtonpost.com

Montgomery County residents fight school's closure - washingtonpost.com:

"More than 100 northwestern Montgomery County residents began mobilizing Wednesday night to oppose the proposed closure of Monocacy Elementary School, arguing that the move would hurt their community and possibly backfire against the school system."

A standing-room-only crowd of parents, children and local officials packed the Poolesville Town Hall meeting room, with another dozen listening outside in an overflow room. Many wore the striped blue T-shirt of the Monocacy Bobcats, the school's mascot.

All who spoke argued for preserving Monocacy Elementary, which school system officials announced last week would be closed under a capital budget plan proposed by Superintendent Jerry D. Weast.

Citing declining enrollment and the need to save money, Weast would send students from Monocacy Elementary School eight miles south to Poolesville Elementary School for the beginning of the next school year. Weast said the measure could save $1 million a year if it is approved by the Board of Education.

At hearing, teachers assail Rhee over layoffs - washingtonpost.com

At hearing, teachers assail Rhee over layoffs - washingtonpost.com:

"Union members, parents and community activists packed the D.C Council chambers Thursday morning for Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee's first detailed account of the teacher layoffs and budget cuts that have placed her under the heaviest political fire of her 28-month tenure.

'A grave injustice has been committed against us,' said Pearlie Christian, a former kindergarten teacher at Barnard Elementary School and one of 388 school system staff laid off Oct. 2 to help close what Rhee said was a $43.9 million shortfall in the school system's 2010 budget.

Union leaders have denounced the move as an illegal mass firing intended to purge older educators. They have gone to court to have the teachers reinstated and returned to the classroom."

David A. Sanchez American Education Week

American Education Week Fact Sheet


The National Education Association's 88th annual American Education Week—November 15-21, 2009—presents all Americans with an opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring every child receives a quality education. Our AEW tagline, "Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility," reflects NEA's vision of calling upon all Americans to do their part in making public schools great for every child so that they can grow and achieve in the 21st century.

The weeklong celebration will spotlight distinguished individuals who are critical in building great public schools for the nation's 50 million K-12 students. American Education Week's celebration days include:

Monday, November 16: Open House Day. From national commemorations to local community events such as American Education Week house parties, millions of Americans will celebrate public education nationwide.

Tuesday, November 17: Parents Day. Schools will invite parents into the classroom for a hands-on experience of what the day is like for their child.

Wednesday, November 18: Education Support Professionals Day. Individuals who provide invaluable services to schools are recognized for their outstanding work.

Thursday, November 19: Educator for a Day. Community leaders will be invited to serve as educators to get a glimpse at a day in the life of a school employee.

Friday, November 20: Substitute Educators Day. This day honors the educators who are called upon to replace regularly employed teachers.

To help plan and promote American Education Week's celebration days, NEA is offering an online toolkit, complete with promotional materials, activity ideas, and downloadable templates.

The toolkit is available at www.nea.org/aew.

Editorial: City leaders see no evil, read no evil - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: City leaders see no evil, read no evil - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial Sacramento Bee:

"The city of Sacramento has an unsung hero in the Natomas permit scandal.

It was a Utilities Department employee, still unnamed, who noticed that someone in the development department had approved permits for new home construction in the Natomas flood zone in April – though a federally mandated building moratorium had been in effect since last December. The employee also noticed irregularities with the fees."

That person did the right thing, contacting Assistant City Manager John Dangberg, the city manager and the city attorney. The next day they all met. They realized immediately that this could affect federal funding for Sacramento's levees and flood insurance subsidies. They contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The city attorney drafted a memo on the issue, which was hand-delivered to the mayor and council members, the city manager, the assistant city manager and the head of the development department.

But – and this is the most important part – the public never would have known about that scandal in the development department if someone hadn't leaked the memo to The Bee. It would all have been hush-hush.

Unfortunately, Mayor Kevin Johnson went out of his way to champion secrecy over disclosure. He went so far as to label the leak a "crime" and unsuccessfully attempted to hold a closed session to ferret out the leaker. The council was told Tuesday that disclosure of the memo was not a crime. No closed session.

Education Week: Rediscovering the 'Pygmalion Effect'

Education Week: Rediscovering the 'Pygmalion Effect'

"High expectations" is the mantra of today’s school reformers, who are convinced that the trouble with public education is that students have been allowed to slide by with little effort. Their version of high expectations is requiring college-preparatory courses, advanced subject matter, more-difficult assignments, and a longer school day and year for all students. They believe that research and the records of selected schools show that demanding more of students brings the desired results.
But do they understand the research, or know what successful schools really do?

The original research on teacher expectations tells a far different story from what today’s reformers are calling for. More than 40 years ago, Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson conducted an experiment in a California elementary school that produced what they called, in a reference to Greek mythology and George Bernard Shaw’s famous play, the “Pygmalion Effect”: the amazing transformation of an ordinary person into someone special. In their book Pygmalion in the Classroom , they described the study in detail and interpreted its lessons for education...

Education Week: Blair, Duncan Push Schools as Community Hubs

Education Week: Blair, Duncan Push Schools as Community Hubs

The campaign to turn more schools into community hubs got an injection of star power Wednesday from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who headlined an event on the topic sponsored by the Center for American Progress.

The occasion was the release of a new report by the Washington-based think tank pointing to England as a model for the nationwide spread of community schools, which offer a venue for both academics and social services.

By next year, all of England’s 23,000 public schools will become “extended schools” open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the year—a key education priority of Mr. Blair’s administration, which aimed both to make schools a place of learning and to give them a central...

Digital Education: The 'Inconvenient Truth' of Educational Inequity

Digital Education: The 'Inconvenient Truth' of Educational Inequity:

"The director of the Academy Award-winning film 'An Inconvenient Truth' wants his new upcoming documentary to fuel the same sense of urgency for improving education that his earlier one did for raising awareness of global warming. A preview was shown here at the Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age forum at Google headquarters.

In the preview of the documentary, director Davis Guggenheim takes a dramatic and emotional look at how low-income students and families in the District of Columbia are desperately trying to navigate the public school options that will give them the best chance of achieving academic success and breaking the cycle of poverty."

SN&R > Columns > Bites > Overqualified, underfunded > 10.29.09

SN&R ; Columns; Bites; Overqualified, underfunded; 10.29.09

The election is still eight months away, but contestants in the 5th Sacramento City Council District are already facing off at a candidate forum in the Florin Road Bingo hall tonight, Thursday, October 29. The 5th includes Curtis Park, Hollywood Park, Oak Park and a lot of other parks besides. It’s a crowded field full of interesting and smart candidates—all vying to replace Councilwoman Lauren Hammond, who is giving up her seat to run for the state Assembly.

The field shows why Sacramento’s campaign finance laws are completely broken.

The race is being dominated early by two pretty well-connected guys—school board member Patrick Kennedy and former school board member Jay Schenirer. Each has a long list of endorsers and donors, and they’ve basically divvied up Sacramento’s political establishment. For example, Kennedy boasts endorsements from Councilwomen Bonnie Pannell and Sandy Sheedy, along with heavy labor support. Schenirer is getting the nod from Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, and most observers expect him to win the endorsement of Mayor Kevin Johnson.

No TRO For WTU, Yet - D.C. Wire -

No TRO For WTU, Yet - D.C. Wire -:

"The Washington Teachers' Union (WTU) failed today in its bid to secure a court order barring the District from formally discharging the 266 public school instructors and staff it laid off Oct. 2. But a D.C. Superior Court judge left the door open to taking action next week.
The educators have been on administrative leave, collecting salary and benefits for the last month, but are scheduled to be dropped from the city payroll this coming Monday.
WTU has sued, arguing that the action was an illegal mass firing and not, as the District contends, a budget-driven reduction in force. The union wants a permanent injunction that reinstates the teachers and returns them to the classroom while the matter goes before an arbitrator."

Children4Change

Children4Change:

Represent a Child To President Obama

"For too long the American K-12 education system has deteriorated compared to our international peers. Every child deserves the opportunity to receive a world-class education so that they may become financially self-sufficient, productive and engaged Americans citizens.

That American children should academically lead the world - as measured by international benchmark exams - is in the best interests of the child and of American society.
Although there are powerful organizations representing the interests of all the adults in K-12 education, no organization stands up forcefully for the interests of children. Until now.

Children4Change.org is a grassroots organization of ordinary Americans willing to take the side of an American child in the struggle for a high quality education."

NAEP State Mapping - State Mapping

NAEP State Mapping - State Mapping:

"Mapping State Proficiency Standards Onto NAEP Scales 2005-2007: Since 2003, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has compared each state’s standard for proficient performance in reading and mathematics by placing the state standards onto the NAEP scale.

The procedure, “mapping,” allows the level of achievement required for proficient performance in one state to be compared with the level of achievement required in another state. The mapping procedure offers an approximate way to assess the relative rigor of the states’ standards for proficient performance."

State Mapping Publications

Browse the executive summary of the report.
Download the full 2007 report (2985K PDF) to find out more about your state.
Download earlier reports:
Mapping 2005 State Proficiency Standards Onto the NAEP Scales.
Comparison Between NAEP and State Reading Assessment Results: 2003.
Comparison Between NAEP and State Mathematics Assessment Results: 2003.

More About State Mapping

View profiles of state assessment standards that provide detailed information on each state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) standards, assessments, and exclusion rates. Profiles are available for 2007 or 2005.
View a table summarizing the percentage of students at or above NAEP Proficient and the percentage of students meeting state proficiency standards for 2007 or 2005.
More information to help you understand the report is available in the State Mapping FAQs.
Learn more about how NAEP relates to federal law.
View the State Mapping Presentation, a narrated PowerPoint presentation about state proficiency standards and the report.

Read Full Report: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/14142200/Mapping-State-Proficiency-Standards-Onto-NAEP-Scales-2005-2007

Obama nomination of donor as envoy put on hold - Washington Times

Obama nomination of donor as envoy put on hold - Washington Times:

"President Obama's nomination of a major campaign fundraiser as ambassador to Spain has been delayed in the Senate over questions about whether the White House is withholding information from lawmakers about the abrupt firing of a government watchdog official.

The nominee, Alan Solomont, served from April until recently as chairman of the Corporation for National and Community Service, whose former inspector general, Gerald Walpin, was fired by the White House on June 10. Mr. Solomont, a Massachusetts health industry entrepreneur, helped raise at least $500,000 for Mr. Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and was among a group of top fundraisers, elected officials and others invited to a St. Patrick's Day party at the White House."