California Districts Borrowing More As State Payments Arrive Late

The Riverside (CA) Press Enterprise (5/30, Straehley) reports, "Inland school and community college districts are borrowing more and paying more interest and fees because their state payments are arriving late, officials said." The piece notes that such deferrals are increasing even as districts' reserves shrink under state budget cuts, and describes districts' extra costs from interest and transaction fees. "Instead of the state borrowing to cover its own cash-flow shortages, it has forced about 1,000 school and community college districts to pay the interest and other costs to borrow, said Vince Christakos, vice president of the California Association of School Business Officials and chief business official for Hemet Unified School District."

Cash-Strapped California Districts Increasingly Turning To Bond Measures

The Sacramento (CA) Bee (5/30, Lambert) reports that after years of perennial state budget cuts districts across California are increasingly asking "voters to approve new revenue streams in the form of bond measures for building repairs and new technology. The districts seem to want the same things – roofs that don't leak, efficient heating and air conditioning systems and infrastructure that supports computers in classrooms, among other things. Statewide, school districts are asking voters to approve $2.67 billion in bonds in the June 5 election, said David Kline of the California Taxpayers Association."

Bill To Reduce Reliance On Student Testing Advances In California Legislature

The AP (5/30, Lin) reports that a bill to "make California schools less dependent on student testing" passed the California state Senate on Tuesday. "Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said the state's school accountability system is currently too narrow and relies too much on standardized testing. Under his bill, SB1458, student test scores would count for no more than 40 percent of a school's performance ranking, known as the Academic Performance Index." The piece notes that Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has already vetoed a similar bill.

Khan Academy In Center Of Education Technology Debate

In a 2,000-word profile of Khan Academy founder Sal Khan, USA Today (5/30, Cava) reports that his digital math lessons are "a revolution" which has "managed to win fans worldwide and goad skeptical educators." The piece describes Khan's background and the evolution of his academy, noting that his "simply narrated, faceless home videos on everything from algebra to French history have been viewed half a billion times. Last year, a number of schools began 'flipping' their classrooms, having students study Khan videos by night and do homework with teachers by day. In the process, Khan has fueled the debate over tech's growing influence on education while garnering the support of powerful friends."

New York City Teacher Ends Career By Special Education Whistle-blowing

An article in the New York Times (5/22, Powell, Subscription Publication) narrates New York special education math teacher Harris Lirtzman's decision to "blow the whistle, and so close the door on his teaching career," noting that after a career in the state Comptroller's office, Lirtzman decided to switch to teaching, and "came to love his work." However, the Times reports, "in September 2011, school administrators placed uncertified teachers - and a conga line of unemployed teachers who came for one-week stints - in classrooms filled with special education students, which is to say those children most in need of expert help." The Times notes that this was in violation of Federal regulations, and describes Lirtzman's efforts to urge administrators to change this policy, resulting in his termination. The article adds that the New York City Department of Education has faulted Lirtzman as a "disgruntled" former employee.

California Implementing "Fundamental" Changes To Adopt Common Core

U-T San Diego (5/22) reports, "California has embarked on a course to fundamentally reshape how every student is taught and tested," noting that the state's adoption of the Common Core Standards for English and math takes effect in 2014. The article touches on the changes to testing and curriculum that the implementation will entail, and describes the steps that various districts are taking to prepare. However, "a number of critics are not convinced the Common Core standards are a marked improvement over the current requirements," the paper reports, "particularly given the cost that some place at $2 billion statewide for new books, materials and teacher training."

 

Teacher: Educators Must Be Properly Taught Common Core.

In commentary for Education News Colorado (5/22), teacher Mark Sass writes that in order for teachers to successfully adapt to the Common Core Standards, districts must give them "differentiated time," "plenty of feedback," and "the opportunity to struggle with the new standards," noting that "these three requirements are the same teachers use with their students." He contrasts this approach with traditional professional development practices, which amounts to "a one-day lecture with no check for understanding, opportunities for practice, or feedback. ... For implementation of the Common Core this means we cannot just drop the new standards at the door steps of a teacher's classroom and assume it's all good to go."

Mississippi District Agrees To Stop Handcuffing Students To Stationary Objects

The AP (5/25) reported that the school district in Jackson, Mississippi, has agreed to end the policy of allowing students to be handcuffed to stationary objects at an alternative school, and will train staff in "better methods of discipline," noting that the agreement was part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The complaint alleged that school staff "routinely restrained students for hours for offenses as minor as dress code violations, forcing them to eat lunch while chained to a stair railing and to shout for help when they needed to go to the bathroom." The AP cites an ED report which "showed tens of thousands of students, 70 percent of them disabled, were strapped down or physically restrained in school in 2009-10. ... The US Department of Education says Mississippi is one of 13 states with no statewide rules governing restraints."

Philadelphia Districts Complain Charters Not Taking Special Needs Students

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (5/27, Lord) reports that charter schools "haven't drawn their shares of special-needs students, especially those with the most challenging disabilities. The result: Public school officials fear they are being left with the most challenging students, but with dwindling resources to educate them." The piece cites statistics in Pittsburgh, noting that "the choices made by special-needs students have outsized financial implications, especially in a world where school districts and charters are competing fiercely for stagnant funding."

Writer: Focus On Standardized Testing Leads To Cheating Epidemic

Daniel Denvir wrote at Salon (5/26, Denvir) that "rampant and widespread cheating on high-stakes standardized tests has been uncovered in districts nationwide," threatening the education reform movement. The piece quotes former ED official Diane Ravitch saying, "No Child Left Behind has created a culture in which people will do anything to keep their jobs. There are states that have gamed the systems, there are districts that have gamed the system, there are people who have gamed the system." Denvir writes that under NCLB, making AYP "became a matter of a school's - and increasingly teacher's - survival. Test results have been used as the pretext to fire teachers and force schools into becoming privately managed charters, even though research has shown that corruption-prone charters are not, as a whole, better, and are often much worse than traditional public schools."

New York City Continues To Use "Rubber Rooms" For Suspended Teachers

The New York Post (5/27, Edelman) reported that over 200 teachers in New York City "suspected of misconduct or incompetence are hidden in offices all over the city. In the infamous rubber rooms that closed in 2010, up to 770 castoffs were jammed into several giant rooms. Now no more than a handful sit in exile at each place." The piece notes that some perform menial tasks, but others are "warehoused."

ED-Funded "Troops To Teachers" Program Moves Veterans Into Classrooms

PBS' "Nightly Business Report" (5/28, 6:41 p.m.) broadcast a segment about the ED-funded "Troops to Teachers" program, which "takes veterans from service to the country to service in the classroom." The piece profiles Jeanne Erickson, a 20-year veteran of the Army National Guard and Army Reserves who now teaches ESL students at a high school in Phoenix, Arizona. The piece notes that she says her "military background helps her in the classroom. ... Troops to teachers does not place teachers or educate them, but instead facilitates their hiring and provides some financial assistance for those who need additional education to meet certification requirements."

Writer: Improve Teacher Quality By Increasing Starting Salaries

Reihan Salam writes at the National Review (5/29), "I was very impressed by Benjy Sarlin of Talking Points Memo for having reported on Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's nuanced take on class size reduction. The central problem with class size reduction is that (a) the policy hasn't been implemented in the most cost-effective manner, i.e., it hasn't been focused on the students who stand to benefit the most and (b) it has exacerbated the dilution of the teacher talent pool, and for that reason it has contributed to a reduction in average teacher quality." Salam continues to describe a plan in which districts would stop paying teachers higher salaries based on credentials, and rather pay increased starting salaries in order to attract better qualified applicants. This approach, he writes, "would encourage retention among younger teachers and it would do a better job of rewarding the considerable gains in effectiveness that occur in the first few years."

ED Analysis Finds Math Software Used In West Virginia Has No Impact On Scores

The Charleston (WV) Gazette (5/29, Harris) reports that according to a 2010 ED analysis, the Cognitive Tutor math software package "produced 'no discernible effects' on student achievement," noting that "West Virginia educators have paid millions of dollars" for the software from Carnegie Learning. "The report by the What Works Clearinghouse, a research arm of the Department of Education, analyzed four studies on Cognitive Tutor's effectiveness and found that the software had 'no discernible effects on mathematics achievement for high school students.'"

California School Has "Promising" Results From Blended Learning

The AP (5/27, Hoag) reported, "Math is so popular at Ritter Elementary School in Watts that kids arrive before the morning bell and line up to do extra work before class, but it's not the subject that's the real attraction as much as the method-computers." The article cited this as part of an increasing trend towards "blended learning" in California and in other states, noting there have been "promising" results already. Although there are critics, "studies have shown that students learn a 'bit better' with computers than in traditional classrooms, said Richard E. Clark, director of USC's Center for Cognitive Technology."

Writer Pans Anti-Federal Opposition To Common Core

In a column in the Deseret (UT) Morning News (5/26), John Florez wrote that the introduction of the Common Core Standards, which were devised after "years of study" and stem from "a concerted effort to renew America's ability to maintain a competitive edge in today's global economy," have been met with the opposition of "Chicken Littles," who "came out with the usual cry, 'The feds are taking over.'" Florez argues that anti-Federal ideologies are poised to stymie US economic competitiveness, adding, "America needs to have a Common Core of educational standards that are world class if our students are to make it in the new world yet to be discovered." He concedes that the common core is "a work in progress," but calls for stakeholders to "work together to build upon them so they meet our state's needs."