Wednesday, June 23, 2010

At Community Colleges, Open Access Is Latest Cutback - NYTimes.com

Community Colleges Cutting Back on Open Access

Ann Johansson for The New York Times

Ashley Diaz, 18, on Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif.

By TAMAR LEWIN

Published: June 23, 2010

WALNUT, Calif. — When Giovanny Villalta tried to register for winter-term classes at Mount San Antonio College here, he hit the wall.

For-Profit Colleges Find New Market Niche (June 24, 2010)
Times Topic: Community Colleges

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Ann Johansson for The New York Times

Silver Calzada, chairman of counseling at Mount SAC, said: “Students see our banners saying 'Dream It. Be It.' And they feel like they've been duped.”

“I was assigned a late registration slot, and by the time I was allowed to register, everything was full,” Mr. Villalta said. “Biology, full. Anatomy, full. Physics, full. Psychology, full. History of Asia, full. Any history class that would count toward transferring to a four-year U.C. campus, full.”

So Mr. Villalta, who had been a high school athlete, ended up taking track — and nothing else.

James Card

Jake Lawrence, a freshman on Bethel University’s bass fishing team, was one of the first two students to receive an athletic scholarship for bass fishing.

Gone Fishing on Scholarship, With Hopes of Turning Pro

By JAMES CARD

Jake Lawrence and Jacob Hardy became the first students in the United States to receive athletic scholarships for competitive bass fishing.

New York Budget Talks Stall on University Proposal

By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE

Gov. David A. Paterson wants an overhaul to the public system that would allow schools to set tuition, but some fellow Democrats are opposed.

Samuel Liu, right, of Loyola Law School Los Angeles, which is adding 0.333 to every grade.

In Law Schools, Grades Go Up, Just Like That

By CATHERINE RAMPELL

In the last two years, at least 10 law schools have made their grading systems more lenient to give their students a better chance in a soft job market.

Media Advisories | U.S. Department of Education

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JUNE 24, 2010

U.S. Education Official to Address Skills USA Conference

Glenn Cummings, deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, will deliver the keynote address at the SkillsUSA Youth Development Foundation Awards and Recognition Luncheon for the 46th Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference on Thursday in Kansas City.

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Media Advisories

JUNE 24, 2010

In Detroit Thursday: U.S. Education Official to Discuss School Reform from Civil Rights Perspective

Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, will participate in a panel discussion Thursday in Detroit, entitled, “Education as a Civil and Human Right: Public Policy and Michigan Schools.” Educators, legislators and community leaders have been invited to the event sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.

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JUNE 24, 2010

U.S. Education Department Civil Rights Official to Address California Association of Administrators of State and Federal Education Programs' Spring Professional Development Institute

Ricardo Soto, with the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, will address an opening session of the California Association of Administrators of State and Federal Education Programs’ (CAASFEP) professional development institute Thursday, June 24 in Monterey, Calif. Soto will talk about English language learners and civil rights.

Suit filed over Calif. school clothing flap - Boston.com

Suit filed over Calif. school clothing flap

June 23, 2010

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MORGAN HILL, Calif.—Three students at a California high school who were ordered to remove clothing with the American flag on Cinco de Mayo are suing the school district.

The civil rights suit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for Northern California. The suit claims school officials at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill violated the students' rights to freedom of speech, due process and equal protection.

The students say school officials told them to remove their T-shirts or turn them inside out on May 5 because they were inappropriate on Cinco de Mayo. Students with Mexican flags and clothing with pro-Mexican messages, meanwhile, were

Students File Lawsuit In Morgan Hill Flag Flap

Students Wearing American T-shirts Sent Home

POSTED: 12:54 pm PDT June 23, 2010
UPDATED: 3:44 pm PDT June 23, 2010

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MORGAN HILL, Calif. -- Three Morgan Hill high school students who were told to remove their American flag T-shirts on Cinco de Mayo have filed a lawsuit against the Morgan Hill Unified School District.

The Live Oak High School students' attorney announced Wednesday that the lawsuit, Dariano v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, had been filed against the district.

The students were sent home by the Live Oak High School principal and vice principal after they were told that wearing American flag clothing on Cinco De Mayo could incite violence. It set off an emotional debate that put Morgan Hill in the national spotlight.

PDF: Morgan Hill Flag Flap Lawsuit

"The U.S. Supreme Court has held for decades that students do not shed

CSU faculty told staff is busy prepping for Palin

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

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(06-23) 18:03 PDT Turlock, Calif. (AP) --
Professors at California State University, Stanislaus say campus staff are working hard to prepare for Sarah Palin's upcoming visit, despite assurances that a nonprofit foundation is organizing the event.
Palin, the former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate, is scheduled to headline a black-tie fundraiser on Friday night.
Mark Grobner, who chairs the biology department, says his technician was told Wednesday he could not access a campus truck to pick up a donated piece of equipment because facilities staff were too busy getting ready for the gala event.
Palin's appearance has generated widespread coverage and criticism since it was

Transforming the High School Experience: How New York City’s New Small Schools Are Boosting Student Achievement and Graduation Rates — Overview

Transforming the High School Experience
How New York City’s New Small Schools Are Boosting Student Achievement and Graduation Rates

Howard S. Bloom, Saskia Levy Thompson, and Rebecca Unterman
with
Corinne Herlihy and Collin F. Payne

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New York City’s Changing High School Landscape: High Schools and Their Characteristics, 2002-2008

Relationships, Rigor, and Readiness: Strategies for Improving High Schools

Meeting Five Critical Challenges of High School Reform: Lessons from Research on Three Reform Models

Since 2002, New York City has closed more than 20 underperforming public high schools, opened more than 200 new secondary schools, and introduced a centralized high school admissions process in which approximately 80,000 students a year indicate their school preferences from a wide-ranging choice of programs. At the heart of these reforms lie 123 new “small schools of choice” (SSCs) — small, academically nonselective, four-year public high schools for students in grades 9 through 12. Open to students at all levels of academic achievement and located in historically disadvantaged communities, SSCs were intended to be viable alternatives to the neighborhood high schools that were closing.

SSCs are more than just small. They were authorized through a demanding competitive proposal process designed to stimulate innovative ideas for new schools by a range of stakeholders and institutions, from educators to school reform intermediary organizations. The resulting schools emphasize strong, sustained relationships between students and faculty. Each SSC also received start-up funding as well as assistance and policy protections from the district and other key players to facilitate leadership development, hiring, and implementation.

School Tech Connect: Common Core Will Lead To Communism!

School Tech Connect: Common Core Will Lead To Communism!:

Common Core Will Lead To Communism!

(note: title contains satire)
These are the four dumbest objections to the Common Core that I can think of. Oh look-- they're from Heritage. It's always a little disconcerting to find out you have basically the same net position as Heritage.

I think it's fine to adopt a set of standards if that's what you want to do; I just think the Common Core Standards are a red herring. The problems that children in poverty face will not be helped by shinier standards in the slightest. And they will lead to an awful lot of money being spent on shiny new tests instead of on books that poor kids can access. And tests scores will continue to be waved around like pom poms by every Tom, Dick,

Superintendent: Cut high school faculties 10 percent, end elementary and middle school PE | OregonLive.com

Superintendent: Cut high school faculties 10 percent, end elementary and middle school PE

Published: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 5:13 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 23, 2010, 5:31 PM

Betsy Hammond, The Oregonian
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Portland's elementary and middle schools would lose their entire physical education program and the high schools would lose 10 percent of their faculty under Superintendent Carole Smith's plan to deal with a $19 million cut in state funding for next school year.

Layoffs for some Portland Public Schools teachers and increased workloads for those who remain are inevitable, officials said.

Somber-faced school board members heard Smith's plan Wednesday afternoon and will hold a public hearing on it Tuesday evening.

“This is hard to listen to,” said board member David Wynde. “Every person we employ, there is a good reason they're here. This is really, really tough."

Every Oregon district is being asked to take a 9 percent cut in state funding for the coming school year.

In Oregon's largest, Smith recommends cutting the equivalent of 178 teachers – 66 from elementary and middle schools, primarily from physical education; 60 from high schools; 38 from special education; and 14 from English as a second language. She also proposes cutting 25 positions from the district's central office.

Smith said she is not proposing cutting days from the school year, as many districts are doing, because that would be a one-time fix. She believes state school funding will be tight for years to come.

Paring back teachers, while painful, will help the district become leaner for lean times ahead, she said.
She said teachers and other school employees who keep their jobs will have to shoulder a heavier load.
Elementary and middle school teachers without training in P.E. will be called on to help