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Thursday, September 9, 2010

N.J. applies for $268M in federal education money | NJ.com

N.J. applies for $268M in federal education money | NJ.com

N.J. applies for $268M in federal education money

Published: Thursday, September 09, 2010, 10:33 AM Updated: Thursday, September 09, 2010, 10:33 AM
rochelle-hendricks-board-education.JPGActing Commissioner of Education Rochelle Hendricks.

TRENTON — New Jersey has applied for $268 million in federal education funding and will use its own funding formula — instead of a federal method — to distribute the money for school districts.

Initially billed as money that would save teachers' jobs, districts can use stimulus funds approved last month by Congress for salaries, benefits and related costs for a wide range of employees, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

The application was something of a formality. The money would have come to New Jersey whether Gov. Chris Christie asked for it by today's deadline or not, but applying gave Christie some additional control over distribution and started the process of getting the funds to New Jersey. A Christie administration spokesman could not be reached for comment this

On 2nd day, even more teachers are truant Notes from the news, Sept. 9 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Sept. 9 | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Notes from the news, Sept. 9

notes from the news imageOn 2nd day, even more teachers are truant Daily News
The District's Chief Talent Development Officer Estelle Matthews said that 201 teachers did not report for work yesterday, a number of them not following the proper procedure for an excused absence. There were 171 absences the day before.

See also: Hundreds More Phila. Schoolteachers Fail to Show Up KYW

South Phila. High teacher sues administrators, alleging retaliation Inquirer
Former South Philly High social studies teacher William Aitken has filed a lawsuit against the District claiming that administrators treated him unfairly when last October he warned then Principal LaGreta Brown that students were using cell phones to coordinate attacks on Asian students.

Editorial: Spend the Philadelphia school money first, then get the OK Daily News
In August, the School Reform Commission approved more than $1 million to install turnstiles at 440, but this was months after the security equipment had already been put into place.

See also: Turnstiles: Delayed approval not unusual The Notebook blog

Teenage activist will see if Philadelphia school has changed, too The Dallas Morning News
South Philly student Duong Nghe Ly looks forward to a changed school as he begins his senior year.

The First Week A Very Public Education blog
One mom's perspective on what she calls a odd first week of school.


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Student diversity not reflected in staff

Student diversity not reflected in staff

Student diversity not reflected in staff

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 9, 2010

Alexandria public schools boast a culturally rich student population -- hailing from 128 countries and speaking about 75 languages -- but getting staff members to reflect that student population has been a challenge.

Nearly 37 percent of students in Alexandria schools last school year were black, according to the school system's statistics. Twenty-seven percent were Hispanic; almost 25 percent white; 6 percent Asian; 1 percent Native American; and the rest unspecified.

More than 51 percent of the city's teachers and support staff members, however, are white, based on data from before this school year's first week. Almost 37 percent of the teachers and instructional workers are black, and 8 percent are Hispanic.

The school system hired two Hispanic principals for

Eduwonk � Blog Archive � An Uncommon Opportunity?

Eduwonk � Blog Archive � An Uncommon Opportunity?

An Uncommon Opportunity?

At TIME.com here’s my take on lobsters the transformative promise of common standards – a common denominator – and why most of the hype overstates the case. What didn’t I get into was the issue of innovation and how this can also be a powerful lever there.

Assuming quality and comparability are maintained, the new standards offer a common denominator in public education to help think about student performance and productivity. Sounds wonky, but it’s hard to overstate the importance of this to the national effort to improve schools across 50 states and thousands of

Use Your Parents' Health Insurance on Campus - US News and World Report

Use Your Parents' Health Insurance on Campus - US News and World Report

New Muslim college welcomes freshmen in California - Boston.com

New Muslim college welcomes freshmen in California - Boston.com

New Muslim college welcomes freshmen in California

Imam Zaid Shakir, rear, lectures during Islamic History Class at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. Amid the uproar over the proposed mosque near the former World Trade Center, a new Islamic college opened its doors in California with plans to educate a new generation of Muslim American leaders. Zaytuna College in Berkeley is a small school with just five faculty members and 15 students in its inaugural freshman class, but it has big ambitions: It wants to be the first accredited Muslim academic institution in the U.S.Imam Zaid Shakir, rear, lectures during Islamic History Class at Zaytuna College in Berkeley, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. Amid the uproar over the proposed mosque near the former World Trade Center, a new Islamic college opened its doors in California with plans to educate a new generation of Muslim American leaders. Zaytuna College in Berkeley is a small school with just five faculty members and 15 students in its inaugural freshman class, but it has big ambitions: It wants to be the first accredited Muslim academic institution in the U.S. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
By Terence Chea
Associated Press Writer / September 9, 2010
Text size +

BERKELEY, Calif.—Amid the uproar over the proposed mosque near ground zero in New York, a new Islamic college recently opened its doors in California with plans to educate a new generation of Muslim-American leaders.

Founded by three prominent Islamic scholars, Zaytuna College in Berkeley is a small school with just five faculty members and 15 students in its inaugural freshman class. The school wants to become the country's first fully accredited Muslim academic institution.

Zaytuna College is opening at a time when fierce opposition to the proposed Islamic community center and mosque near the former World Trade Center has

Brighton Park School Opening - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Brighton Park School Opening - District 299: Chicago Public Schools Blog

Brighton Park School Opening

8846_lg.jpg
On Thursday morning the Mayor and schools CEO will be with the PBC folks at Calmeca Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language. "The new school, in the city's Brighton Park community, is one of five new school buildings

The Daily Churn: Thursday | EdNewsColorado

The Daily Churn: Thursday | EdNewsColorado

The Daily Churn: Thursday

Daily Churn logoWhat’s churning:

The heated national debate on using student test-score growth to evaluate teachers shows little sign of abating, almost a month after the Los Angeles Times ignited a controversy by doing its own “value-added” analysis of teacher effectiveness. Bloggers have gone back and forth on the issue on Education News Colorado’s opinion

Turnstiles: Delayed approval not unusual | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Turnstiles: Delayed approval not unusual | Philadelphia Public School Notebook

Turnstiles: Delayed approval not unusual

Last week, I wrote about how the District had spent a million dollars on turnstiles and miscellaneous security equipment. The authorizing resolution, which the SRC passed at its August meeting, came months after the installation of the equipment.

Despite the delayed approval and exorbitant price tag, the resolution passed with no questions or debate.

The resolution was not unusual. At that very same meeting, the SRC approved at least another eight resolutions

The education deformers “Hot List.” � Fred Klonsky's blog

The education deformers “Hot List.” � Fred Klonsky's blog

The education deformers “Hot List.”

DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, sworn in 1.2.06

Adrian Fenty. #1 on the DFER "hot list."

Democrats for Education Reform have compiled a “hot list” of 15 politicians that they want their supporters to write checks for. DFER is the anti-teacher union, pro-charter lobby outfit funded by such characters as Wall Street hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson.

Note: The first name on the “hot list” is Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, Michelle Rhee’s patron.

ASCD Inservice: A Classroom for Living (1954)

ASCD Inservice: A Classroom for Living (1954)

A Classroom for Living (1954)

There's certainly no shortage of articles advising teachers on how to best create an inviting classroom conducive to learning. But looking back at Lucy Nulton's treatise on the topic, "A Classroom for Living," from the February 1954 Educational Leadership, it's hard not to think her treatment was truly original.

Read the article: A Classroom for Living (PDF)

Opening with the question, "What teacher has not longed for a pleasanter, more effective classroom?" Nulton paints an evocative picture of a classroom as it exists before the application of her advice. In this troubled classroom, everything is

Weblogg-ed � A Parent 2.0’s Back to School Dilemma

Weblogg-ed � A Parent 2.0’s Back to School Dilemma

A Parent 2.0’s Back to School Dilemma

Yesterday, Alec Couros went “Back to School” to “Meet the Teacher” of his first grade daughter. Here is what he saw:

Here is what he Tweeted:

twitter-_-your-favorites

It reminded me of the night I met Tucker’s first grade teacher, and the first words out of her mouth were

EducationNews.org

EducationNews.org

California charter schools grow in popularity
9.9.10 - Paul Preston sat in a conference room last Tuesday afternoon talking to a couple considering moving their son from River City High School to the California College, Career & Technical Education Center in West Sacramento.

Learning-Disabled Enrollment Dips After
9.9.10 - Experts say the decline may be driving overall decreases in numbers of special education students. ...

Dallas magnet school parents upset over proposal to let in 'students of promise'
9.9.10 - Parents who fear that Dallas ISD will weaken magnet school admission criteria and possibly move to a lottery system plan to attend today's school board meeting. Trustee Edwin Flores, who chairs the board's policy briefings, said he knew of no lottery proposal. He said a proposed change would reserve 10 percent of slots for students who don't otherwise meet admission criteria. ...

Rise of stay-at-home university student: Funding crisis creates two-tier higher education system
9.9.10 - University bosses warn that while wealthy undergraduates will attend well-funded traditional institutions, other students will have to pursue part-time or online courses. ...

Commentaries

Literacy and the Empowerment of Women: A Message for International Literacy Day, September 8, 2010
Tom Sticht - September 8, 2010 is International Literacy Day. This year the theme for celebrating is Literacy and the Empowerment of Women. Some thirty years ago, on September 8, 1979, I entered a large auditorium at UNESCO House in Paris as a new member of the international jury for the awarding of UNESCO's International Literacy Prizes.

Teaching Greatness: Alain L. Locke Elementary School, Part 1
9.9.10 - Harry & Rosemary Wong - There is a man who lives on the top floor of an apartment building on 115th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem, New York City. Every morning, he says, he is awakened by the sound of the students four blocks away at Alain L. Locke Elementary School as they shout:

Sustainability News: September 2010
9.9.10 - Ashley Thorne - Is sustainability just a fad? Or has it become ingrained in our culture? Take a look at these 14 recent articles on sustainability in higher education and judge for yourself.

“What NOT to do: 7 ways to ruin your resume” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

“What NOT to do: 7 ways to ruin your resume” | Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...

Dallas magnet school parents upset over proposal to let in 'students of promise' | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Dallas magnet school parents upset over proposal to let in 'students of promise' | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Latest News

Dallas magnet school parents upset over proposal to let in 'students of promise'

06:34 AM CDT on Thursday, September 9, 2010

By TAWNELL D. HOBBS / The Dallas Morning News
thobbs@dallasnews.com

Parents who fear that Dallas ISD will weaken magnet school admission criteria and possibly move to a lottery system plan to attend today's school board meeting.

Students are admitted into magnet schools based on academic performance and various assessments, such as an essay, interview or audition. But trustees today are expected to discuss proposed revisions to the magnet policy.

Trustee Edwin Flores, who chairs the board's policy briefings, said he knew of no proposal for a lottery system and wondered how the idea began circulating.

"In a nutshell, I don't know who invented this stuff," Flores said.

However, he acknowledged that a