Study: Least Experienced Los Angeles Teachers Often Placed With Neediest Students

The Los Angeles Times (11/19, Watanabe) reports that according to a new study from the Strategic Data Project, which is associated with Harvard University's Center for Education Policy Research, "inexperienced teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District are disproportionately more likely to be assigned to lower-performing math students, perpetuating the achievement gap. The study also found that L.A. Unified teachers 'vary substantially' in their effectiveness, with top teachers able to give students the equivalent of eight additional months of learning in a year compared with weaker instructors."

Writer Warns Of Lack Of Social Studies Focus Under Common Core

Marc Brasof of the National Constitution Center writes at the Philadelphia Public Schools Notebook (11/15) about the gradual decline in social studies instruction in US schools in recent decades, concurrent with an increase in classroom time devoted to math and English. The piece attributes this shift to No Child Left Behind's focus on those two subjects, adding, "This is an important lesson to consider when states, responsible for establishing learning standards for public schools, are now agreeing to implement the new national curriculum standards known as the Common Core. ... Although some scholars have found that the arguments in support of Common Core are flawed, more troubling is the quality of these standards in terms of history and civic education."

Some Schools Dropping Cursive Writing Under Common Core

The Joplin (MO) Globe (11/17, Younker) reports that cursive handwriting "is slowly losing ground in elementary school curricula as technology invades the classroom. The Common Core Standards, a set of national education standards that have been adopted by most states, including Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, do not specifically require that cursive handwriting be taught in classrooms." The piece notes that the Common Core Standards "include keyboarding skills," but not cursive writing. "Locally, most districts include cursive, but many administrators say that the specific skill of writing in cursive is declining in importance in a digital era, when students are more tech-savvy than their predecessors and may prefer a computer keyboard to a pencil and paper."

Groups Aiming To Include ELL Students In Common Core Assessments

Lesli A. Maxwell writes at the Education Week (11/15, Maxwell) "Learning the Language" blog that as the release of new Common Core Standards-linked assessments nears, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers--the two groups which are crafting the assessments--"are ramping up efforts to ensure English-learners and students with disabilities won't be left behind. An overview of the testing accessibility and accommodation work underway" by the groups "was a major feature of an event in Washington yesterday that focused on the common-core standards and English-language learners. The American Federation of Teachers organized the panel, the second such event that the national teachers' union has held on how the new standards will impact ELLs and their teachers."

Ohio Districts Spending Millions On Common Core PD

The Pulse Journal (11/15, Poturalski) reports that Ohio districts "are spending millions of dollars annually on professional development" for teachers related to the Common Core Standards, "and several school districts have staff members dedicated to facilitate training. ... The updated curriculum - with coinciding new instructional practices - has been the primary focus of professional development in local school districts over the past two years, according to officials. The federal government now requires that 10% of Title I funds for under-performing schools be allocated to professional development. Each school district has a professional development committee and an individual plan for each teacher, as required by law, said Keith Millard, director of secondary programs for Hamilton City Schools."

Report: High School Dropouts Blame Parental Disengagement, Teen Pregnancy

US News & World Report (11/15, Sheehy) reports in its "High School Notes" blog that according to a new report from Everest College and research firm Harris Interactive, "a lack of parental support and the challenges of teen pregnancy are among the primary factors driving students to leave high school before earning their diploma." The report showed that 23% "of high school dropouts surveyed cited lack of support and encouragement from their parents as the reason they quit school," while 21% cited having their own child as a reason. "With nearly 1.3 million students leaving high school each year, the dropout crisis is 'equivalent to a permanent recession,' and siphons close to a trillion dollars from the national economy, Tony Miller, deputy secretary of the US Department of Education, said during a panel discussion in May."

Kansas Districts Reject Notion Of Science Grades Without Instruction

The Topeka Capital-Journal (11/14, Llopis) reports that though a recent survey found that many Kansas elementary school teachers felt so pressured to improve math and reading scores that they provided no science instruction at all--though they nevertheless reported grades for their students. However, "districts in the Topeka area said Wednesday that wasn't the case locally. ... The national No Child Left Behind Act has long drawn criticism from educators who say it pressures schools to spend less time on subjects like science and social studies in favor of math and reading."

ED: California District's Non-Union-Endorsed RTTT Application Denied

The Glendale (CA) News Press (11/16, Corrigan) reports, "Glendale's Hail Mary pass in the $400-million Race to the Top federal grant program has been called by the officials: Incomplete." The piece notes that tough the district could not garner the support of the local teachers union, it applied for the grant anyway "in a last ditch hope that it may be considered anyway, but federal officials on Thursday said it would be a futile effort." The piece quotes Assistant Secretary Peter Cunningham saying in an email, "We require the union signature because this challenging work cannot be done at the district level unless everyone is committed and working together." The paper adds, "Glendale Teachers Assn. President Tami Carlson refused to sign the grant application because the district could not promise it wouldn't lay off teachers to combat its $15-million structural deficit later this year." The piece notes that Los Angeles also submitted an application which lacked a union signature.

Cincinnati Teacher Part Of "Flipped Classroom" Movement.

The Cincinnati Enquirer (11/14, Amos) reports on the use of flipped lessons--in which students do "homework" assignments in class and receive lectures at home online--at Wyoming Middle School in Cincinnati, Ohio, profiling history teacher James Zoller, who sometimes uses the practice. "Two chemistry teachers in Woodland Park, Colo., began 'flipping' their classrooms in 2007, to help students who were missing classes because of sports. The teachers, Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, wrote a nationally-known book offering their experiences and advice. Today, teachers around the world are trying it, according to the website FlippedLearning.org."

Texas Witness Testifies Larger Class Sizes Bring More Dropouts

The Dallas Morning News (11/14, Stutz) reports that as testimony in the Texas school finance lawsuit continues, Clive Belfield, an economist at New York's Queens College, testifies that "larger classes typically trigger higher dropout rates and wind up costing more in the long run with less educated workers who pay less in taxes." Moreover, Belfield "said there are several steps school districts can take to increase their graduation rates, but most involve spending more money, and there has been resistance to funding increases in Texas and other states. Over the long term, he said, raising teacher pay, reducing class sizes and funding other improvements has a direct impact on how many students will graduate from high school - and he offered several examples of the return Texas could expect if it were to finance such upgrades."

State Officials Say Only 31% Of California Students Are Physically Fit

In its "L.A. Now" blog, the Los Angeles Times (11/16, Castellanos) reports that "for the second year in a row, California students have tested relatively low in a series of statewide physical fitness tests, the state Department of Education announced Thursday." In a statement, State Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson indicated that approximately 31% of students got healthy scores in all six of the tested areas. He remarked, "When we can call fewer than one out of three of our kids physically fit, we know we have a tremendous public health challenge on our hands." Out of the roughly 1.3 million students in the fifth, seventh, and ninth grades that were tested, "only 31% were able to score in what state officials call a 'healthy fitness zone.'"

New Mexico Legislators Pan Letter Grade System For Schools

KOB-TV Albuquerque, NM (11/16, Dyson) reports online, "Some powerful state lawmakers want to make changes in the state Education Department's new A-through-F grading system for New Mexico's public schools. Some Democratic leaders on the Legislative Education Study Committee said during a Thursday meeting the system needs tweaks, some said it needs to be thrown out, while Republicans said officials need to give the policy a chance." Noting that Education Secretary-Designate Hanna Skandera addressed a legislative hearing on the issue, the piece notes that "Some of the state's smaller school districts seem to be having trouble with the technology for reporting data to the education department."

Columnist Hopes Kansas Will Keep Cursive Writing

In a column in the Kansas City (MO) Star (11/15) , Cindy Hoedel writes about the Kansas Board of Education's meeting this week to discuss whether cursive writing should be required in schools, expressing her hope that the board will deliver "a ringing endorsement of penmanship," noting that it is "a question many states are facing after the Common Core State Standards, a set of curriculum guidelines adopted by 45 states including Kansas, left out cursive handwriting instruction in favor of teaching keyboard skills." Hoedel writes, "Being able to form letters with our hands is one thing that separates us from primates, who can be easily trained to use a keyboard. Why would we want to lose that ability?"

California Voters Pass Tax Increase To Stave Off Education Cuts

Bloomberg News (11/8, Oldham, Marois) reports that voters in California "sent a clear signal they are tired of failing schools" in passing Proposition 30 on Tuesday. "The success of Democratic Governor Jerry Brown's Proposition 30, averting $5.5 billion in cuts to public schools, underscored the growing importance of Latinos, Democrats and younger voters in California's policy making and highlighted the efforts of an unlikely coalition of backers, including the state's higher education institutions and businesses. It also showcased a realization on the part of state residents that with class sizes growing to 30 children in kindergarten and fees rising at public universities, the tax- increase proposal provided a make-or-break moment."

California Voters Pass Proposition 30 Education Funding Tax Hike

Under the headline "California Voters Approve Higher Taxes," the Wall Street Journal (11/8, Vara, Subscription Publication) reports that California voters approved Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) Proposition 30, painting the vote as a victory for Brown, noting that it is projected to generate some $6 billion in revenues, and quoting him saying, "Last night, Californians made the courageous decision to protect our schools and colleges and strengthen the California dream. The people of California have put their trust in a bold path forward and I intend to do everything in my power to honor that trust."

The AP (11/8) reports that Brown "took a big step toward delivering on a campaign promise he made two years ago to fix the state's perpetual budget deficits and to raise taxes to do it only if voters agreed. Brown said voters put their trust in his plan during Tuesday's election by approving Proposition 30, which raises the statewide sales tax and boosts income taxes on the wealthy." Brown "said Wednesday that Proposition 30 will put California on a course to fiscal stability after five years of battering by the recession. He characterized his victory as 'a vote of confidence with some reservations.'"

Reuters (11/8, Russ) reports also covers Proposition 30's passage, noting that it contributed to a total of $30.8 billion in new state and municipal bond debt approved by voters across the country Tuesday.