In This Issue:  | | • | 2Voices2 - EDUCATION REFORMERS ‘JUST DON’T GET IT’ | | | • | 2Voices2 - ALL EYES IN EDUCATION ON LOS ANGELES | | | • | EARLIER CUTOFF DATE TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN A STP CLOSER IN CALIFORNIA | | | • | TEACHERS CAN, AND DO | | | • | HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources | | | • | EVENTS: Coming up next week... | | | • | What can YOU do? | |
Featured Links: | | | | SCHOOL STARTS FOR MOST LAUSD STUDENTS TOMORROW. To them and the educators who teach them - and the school staff and parents and community who support them: You are doing the most important work of our City/our Society/our Civilization. It is difficult work. Do this job well, safely, honestly and passionately. Good luck, be safe and godspeed.
OBSCURING THE ISSUE: 'The heated debate over the use of test scores to evaluate teachers, pushed to the forefront by The Times' publication of 6,000 teachers' names and ratings based on how much their students' scores improved, has obscured the underlying issue...." -- Today's LA Times Editorial | http://lat.ms/9qnUhg We may not agree on what the issue is, but we can agree about the obscurity and who's responsible.
FOLLOWING [2Voices2] ARE TWO VERY DIFFERENT VOICES FROM TWO VERY POLITICAL SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENTS - Submitted, as Rod Serling said, or your approval. Your assignment: Compare+Contrast these two contrasting Back2School messages.
4LAKids IS ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THESE UNITED STATES, IN CALIFORNIA AND IN LAUSD - but I would be disingenuous and/or self-deceived if I pretended the content is non-political, non-partisan or fair+balanced. 4LAKids presents differing viewpoints and welcomes all discussion - but it's editorial voice (stepping outside the third-person/editorial 'we':) - my editorial voice - is political+partisan. I am an unashamed and unabashed advocate for Children and Parents and Educators and the partnership therof - and for successful, healthy, safe students and empowered parenting and and powerful teaching.
In that spirit I will be a candidate for LAUSD Board of Education Seat #5 in the election Tuesday, March 8, 2011. This is a logical+political (if those two words are not mutually exclusive) extension of my advocacy, pontificating, ranting, thinking, activism, work and action over the past decade. I am not going to compose a new manifesto or platform; I have been doing that every week for the past 313 weeks in these pages. Every word was not Shakespeare and every thought is not not Plato ...but I stand behind my thinking for the most part - - and welcome the debate ahead.
School is back in session, let's be safe out there.
¡Onward/Adelante! - smf
2Voices2 - EDUCATION REFORMERS ‘JUST DON’T GET IT’
Valerie Strauss reports in the Answer Sheet blog of The Washington Post | http://bit.ly/daidrF
September 8, 2010; 11:00 AM ET --Charlotte Hummel is the president of the Board of School Directors of the William Penn School District in Pennsylvania, which serves approximately 5,500 students.
She recently addressed the district’s professional staff with powerful remarks, which are unusual in that they are highly critical of education reformers.
In this speech, she offers a different vision of education and says to the staff: “I see my job as standing firmly between you and those who are misguided in their beliefs about what education is and just how hard it is to go about the job of educating our youth.”
Here are Hummel’s remarks:
Thank you for inviting me to speak today. I have been looking forward to this moment for nine years, which is how long I have served on the school board. It is in the last 8 months that I have had the privilege of serving as your school board’s president. I must say up front that I don’t intend to avoid the political in my remarks. In fact, it is my job to be political...
Despite the national and state political movements which purport to improve education – movements I think of as being based on the idea that “the beatings will continue until morale improves,” I have come to firmly believe that those of us who know what public education is really about – like those of us in the William Penn School District family – those of us in this room, others who work for the students in the district, the parents, students and community – must adopt and live by our own philosophy, a new approach to how we approach public education and that is: “We are wearing our own Ruby Slippers.”
Of course, where national and state policy and practice make sense we should embrace it; but where it doesn’t make sense -- like funding schemes that ensure apartheid education and community disintegration, the turning of children into data generators, teachers into script readers and test proctors and administrators into Pavlovian competitors for the next race for the money – in those instances, we should and will speak up, point out that the emperor has no clothes and take the rational albeit radical path of resistance.
We must not, as they used to say in the civil rights movement – participate in our own oppression. So it’s a good thing that WPSD has one of the most radical superintendents and school board presidents in the state when it comes to speaking truth to power. We are wearing our own Ruby Slippers and you’d better not be stepping on our toes.
So what do I mean by this? Well I have come to realize – and to tell anyone who will listen that no one – not the state or federal government, not the major foundations or education think tanks; not those who run charter schools or who propose vouchers; not those who purport to have simple answers to complex questions or who offer quick fixes to long-term challenges – no one who currently holds positions of leadership and power in our governments is going to save us.
They simply just don’t get it. They don’t realize what true education is and they have no clue the challenges we face in helping students engage in it.
So, we have to take matters into our own hands, look to each other to find our strengths and possibilities, marshal our resources, count our blessings and save ourselves.
As I have told my daughter and countless young women, Rapunzel didn’t have to lament her fate in the tower, she didn’t have to waste away alone and isolated, she didn’t have to waste her time and potential in waiting. Had she been thinking differently, she could have cut off her own hair, tied it to the bedpost and rescued herself decades before the prince appeared on the scene. If you think about it, even after he did show up, she still needed to provide the rope.
I look forward to this new year, this new beginning.
You have my respect, my admiration and deepest appreciation for what you do to teach and empower our young people to learn – about themselves, each other and the things they need to know to make their way in and contribute to the world.
I see my job as standing firmly between you and those who are misguided in their beliefs about what education is and just how hard it is to go about the job of educating our youth. Joe [Joseph Bruni, Superintendent] and I speak truth to power, we ask for your support, your ideas, your encouragement, insight and perspective. I have no doubt we can overcome whatever challenges lie ahead. So, let’s click our heels three times and let’s get going.
2Voices2 - ALL EYES IN EDUCATION ON LOS ANGELES
by LAUSD School Board President Monica Garcia | from her e-newsletter
Thu, Sep 9, 2010 1:25 am | It is so exciting to begin the 2010-2011 traditional school year with all eyes in education on Los Angeles. Here at home and across this nation, a dialogue has begun about “value added” analysis of student test scores, and the ways in which student achievement data should—and should not—be used to gauge the effectiveness of individual teachers and schools. This debate cannot be about journalists, union leaders, researchers or policymakers. It must be about our students, and the quality of the instruction we are able to offer them. We have pockets of success in some places. In other places, however, we have done a poor job of “adding value” to our students’ learning. I look through this lens and can see only one conclusion: value added analysis is a critical tool in our accountability toolbox. We must use this data, and use it responsibly and in context, to steadfastly and rapidly build our way to 100% graduation.
What does that look like in practice? In simplest terms, “value added” pulls out each child’s previous California Standards Test (CST) scores and predicts what her test scores will be at the end of the current school year. The analysis then takes the child’s actual year-end test scores and compares them with the predicted scores. Did the child score higher than predicted? If so, the teacher could be said to have “added value” to that student’s learning. Did the child score lower than predicted? If so, the teacher could be said to have “added negative value” to that student’s learning. This approach can account for many factors in a student’s life, such as primary language, family income, etc., and is therefore a fairer measure than absolute scores.
But like all deceptively simple things, “value added” is also complicated, and researchers attach a litany of caveats. Last week, the Economic Policy Institute listed many of the variables that “value added” misses:
● Students experience learning loss over summers, affecting test scores from one spring to the next;
● Other teachers, specialists, tutoring and help outside of the classroom have impacts on student learning that cannot be credited to the classroom teacher;
● Student assignments to classrooms are not random--some teachers may be assigned more special education students, some more English learner students. No classroom looks exactly like any other classroom, and these differences can be reflected in rates of growth on test scores;
● Similarly, some classes are bigger than others, creating more challenges for some teachers than others. This too can be reflected in rate of growth on test scores.
These are nuances, not excuses. Value added is not the end-all, be-all. It cannot be used as a simple proxy for teacher performance, and it must not be used to bash teachers or denigrate schools. But while, as Professor John Rogers blogged this week, “value added is no magic,” it is one of the best data points we have to spotlight what is happening inside the closed door of a classroom. Value added analysis can help us to identify, study and share the practices of teachers and schools that are achieving remarkable results. It can help engage parents and community partners in supporting student achievement. It can help teachers reflect on and improve their practice. And it can help the system improve the supports, professional development, and coaching we offer our practitioners. These were the very goals embraced by the Teacher Effectiveness Task Force, an inclusive body created through a Board Resolution. This is the very work Superintendent Cortines has so effectively led, with a clear focus on supporting all of our employees and holding them accountable for the results.
With that in mind, here is how the Los Angeles Unified School District plans to use “value added” analysis to raise student achievement and lift graduation rates:
● We will share teacher-level data with teachers. All of our teachers and schools should know how they are doing at raising student test scores over time, and they shouldn’t have to read the newspaper to find out.
● We will release this information in a no-stakes, private opportunity for all LAUSD teachers to analyze, reflect, and identify ways to improve their practice in the classroom.
● We will share school-level data with parents. As National PTA President Chuck Saylors put it, “To be true partners in closing the achievement gap, parents need data about student performance and teacher quality to support learning at home and drive education reform.” We will work to educate LAUSD parents about the strengths and limitations of “value added” analysis, and we will then post school-level “Value Added” scores in the next release of the School Report Card.
● We plan to integrate “Value Added” into our evaluation system. A broad consensus has emerged that LAUSD’s evaluation system is fundamentally broken. The District, its unions, parents, and our many stakeholders are already working to develop a new system that would give teachers and school leaders more useful performance information so that they can build on strengths and address weaknesses. “Value Added” analysis should be one component in a comprehensive evaluation system that also includes classroom observation, student portfolios, and several other factors.
● We will analyze this data and use it to drive systems change. Knowing which schools, and which teachers, consistently raise test scores is not an end in itself. It must be a means to an end. As leadership, we must push to analyze this information and use it to highlight and scale up promising practices, as well as to spotlight and eliminate strategies that may impede student learning.
It has been tempting this past month to take a hard stand, concluding alternatively that “value added” analysis is an anti-teacher red herring, or the silver bullet for school reform. In the end, it is neither. “Value Added” analysis is merely one piece of information. As we teach our students, information can either enlighten or mislead —depending on how it is used. I invite all of our partners—particularly our teacher’s union—to partner with us to appropriately and effectively use this data. We must focus our “value added” analysis on improving instruction, supporting student achievement, and increasing graduation. And THAT is the value in “value added.”
____________
●●smf's 2½¢: ON A RADIO INTERVIEW SHOW two weeks ago I commented that the brouhaha engendered by the LA Times Value-Added stories and Arne Duncan's off-hand remark that "Los Angeles illustrates the problem...." brought all education eyes on LA - "Like it or not," I said. "LA is now Ground Zero in the Ed Reform Debate." . It's nice to think Monica was listening.
IT SHOULD BE NOTED that Ms. Garcia's e-newsletter is circulated from the e-mail address lasanchez2006@yahoo.com; Luis A. Sanchez being Ms. Garcia's chief-of-staff. It is apparently not an official LAUSD mailing and one must surmise it was not written or circulated at LAUSD expense ...if only because it went out at 1:25 am on a furlough day! (There is a click-here-to-subscribe link on Monica's LAUSD webpage - but it doesn’t work!) On the same day of this particular e-mail blast Mr. Sanchez announced his candidacy for School Board Office #5 - the seat soon to be vacated by Yolie Flores. [see http://lat.ms/caO5et] Lest anyone miss anything hidden in the nuance, I, Scott Folsom - the publisher of 4LAKids also intend to run for School Board Office #5.
EARLIER CUTOFF DATE TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN A STP CLOSER IN CALIFORNIA
By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times
A BILL THAT WOULD REQUIRE PUPILS ENTERING KINDERGARTEN TO REACH 5 BY SEPT. 1 AND THAT WOULD CREATE ANOTHER LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN WAS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATURE AND AWAITS THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE.
September 7, 2010 - At Gulf Avenue Elementary in Wilmington, 4-year-olds in a transitional kindergarten class start the day singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" before sitting down to trace the letter A and learn its sound. Nearby, students in the school's regular kindergarten class are also hard at work, reading and writing sentences.
The two sets of students are separated in age by only a few months, but the gulf in maturity and academic skills is wide.
Teacher Carmina Gonzalez, who helps some of the 4-year-olds with their letters while tending to a little girl who is crying distractedly, says she saw the contrasts every day in the kindergarten classes she taught.
"The younger ones are all about exploration: They want to walk around, I couldn't get them to sit," she said. "Sometimes they do well, but as the grades get more difficult and the curriculum gets more difficult, that's when we see them fall behind."
Those disparities are one reason many educators are supporting legislation that, if signed by the governor, would require that California children entering kindergarten turn 5 by Sept. 1 rather than Dec. 2.
The bill, SB-1381, which was approved by the Legislature last week, would also provide a year of transitional kindergarten for children with fall birthdays, essentially creating another grade level for an estimated 120,000 4-year-olds.
California is one of only a few states with a kindergarten cutoff date later than Sept. 1, and many educators believe that puts younger children at a disadvantage when entering today's academically demanding kindergarten classes.
Transitional kindergarten would provide two years of preparation for the first grade, which supporters say would boost test scores and reduce special education placements and the number of students held back a grade.
"Today's kindergarten is not what most of us think of when we remember our own experience decades ago," said state Sen. Joe Simitian (D- Palo Alto), who wrote the legislation. "It's a pretty rigorous place these days, and the youngest are struggling to keep up. One thing that caught my attention was a kindergarten report card that had a space for algebra skills, and I thought, 'OK, this is a lot more challenging.' Too many kids are just not ready."
In fact, in a practice some call kindergarten red-shirting, parents frequently hold their child back a year to allow them to mature and give them an academic advantage.
Typically, they are parents with the means to pay for an additional year of childcare or to send children to private preschool programs. Some critics question the long-term benefits of holding a child back, but the proposed changes in California would help level the playing field for low-income children and English learners, proponents say.
_______________________________________
"CHILDREN BORN AFTER SEPT. 1 COULD STILL START KINDERGARTEN IF THEIR PARENTS APPLIED FOR EARLY ADMISSION AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AGREED IT WOULD BE IN THE CHILD'S BEST INTEREST.”
●●smf: Al fine and good - as long as “the child’s best interest” is the sole consideration - and not classroom loading and/or the master schedule. Four and five year olds are not part of the “roadshow”.
_______________________________________
The California legislative analyst's office estimated that changing the cutoff date could save the state $700 million annually by having 100,000 fewer kindergartners in school. The savings would be used by districts to establish transitional programs, so the legislation is considered cost neutral.
The age change would be phased in by moving the cutoff date a month earlier for three years beginning in 2012. Children born after Sept. 1 could still start kindergarten if their parents applied for early admission and the school district agreed it would be in the child's best interest.
Transitional kindergarten programs would be staffed by credentialed teachers and adhere to basic kindergarten standards, but with a curriculum that emphasizes fine motor skills, hands-on activities, learning to write names and basic counting.
The change would help young children who might otherwise find themselves competing academically with classmates six months to a year older, said Debra Weller, president of the California Kindergarten Assn., which began calling for a later start to kindergarten more than two decades ago.
Over time, expectations for kindergartners have increased dramatically. They now are expected to be able to write three sentences with punctuation, read simple sentences and at least 50 words on sight, do simple addition and subtraction, and understand concepts of social studies and science.
But many 4-year-olds would still rather roll around on the rug and scribble, said Weller, a teacher at Bathgate Elementary in Mission Viejo.
"There's nothing wrong with their intelligence, they are perfect little 4-year-olds doing what 4-year-olds should do; but they start to realize they're not equal to their peers, so their self-esteem can start to be affected," said Weller, who has taught kindergarten for 18 years. "In many cases, they are the children who wind up in intervention classes and wind up being retained and costing a lot of extra time and resources."
Weller's observations are borne out by a 2008 report by the nonprofit Public Policy Institute of California, which reviewed 14 studies that examined the effects of entry age on student outcomes. Several of the studies suggested that older students are less likely to be diagnosed with a learning disability and more likely to attend college.
For Emma Payares, the transitional program at Gulf Avenue made sense for her 5-year-old son. The boy, whose birthday fell after last year's kindergarten deadline, can be shy in social situations and his attention sometimes wanders, she said.
"Some children, especially boys, need that extra help so that they are not crammed with academics so quickly," said Payares, 53, a community instructor for the Los Angeles Unified School District. "They need time to develop socially, so it's definitely the ideal situation for him."
The legislation is supported by business, education, civic and child advocacy organizations.
The California Teachers Assn. has adopted a neutral position, after opposing a previous version of the bill that did not provide for transitional programs. A spokesman said the group would have liked more flexibility for local school districts and parents to determine what's best for individual children.
L.A. Unified launched a voluntary pilot transitional program this fall that will enroll about 900 students at 38 schools, including Gulf Avenue, said Whitcomb Hayslip, assistant superintendent for early childhood education.
The added year will be a special help to the school district's many dual language learners, he said. "These children come to school with many challenges but also a great opportunity, and that foundation year can give them the boost that they need," Hayslip said.
At Gulf Avenue, about 20 students attend the transitional class and most parents were enthusiastic, said Principal Nora Armenta.
"In affluent areas, the 'preppy K' programs have been around for a while because parents saw the need for their children, but not so much in working-class areas," Armenta said. "It's great that more children are going to have the same opportunity."
TEACHERS CAN, AND DO
By Superintendent Ramon C. Cortines from the LAUSD webpage | http://bit.ly/NVqYI
Have you heard the expression, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach?" Let me set the record straight. Teachers can, and do. What teachers do is often vastly undervalued. Let me paraphrase a poem by Taylor Mali in which a rich lawyer derides the much, much, much smaller salary of a teacher. That lawyer asks the teacher point-blank, "What do you make?" In the interest of space, let me summarize, sanitize and paraphrase the answer.
The teacher said: "I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional Medal of Honor winner and an A- feel like a slap in the face. How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best."
The poem continues. "I make kids wonder...question...criticize...write, write, write, read and spell words over and over and over again until they will never misspell that word again ... I make them show all of their work in math, and hide it on their final drafts in English."
"What do I make? I make a difference," the teacher said.
Thank you LAUSD teachers for making a difference.
●● smf: Superintendent Cortines knows better than to re-publish a copyright poem without the poet's permission - even one critical of the legal profession - but he does the poet, the poem and the reader a disservice by paraphrasing. Because the august superintendent in his official capacity has quoted from the poem and therefore made said poem a news item 4LAKids is reproducing it entire below as a public service - and that's what I'll tell the judge! (plus the permission is granted here: http://bit.ly/cmJpP6)
I hope that the superintendent didn't paraphrase to spare you, gentle readers, from the referred-to obscene gesture in the poem …or the rough language - a gesture and words which superintendents, educators, parents and public school students should and must be aware if not conversant.
And I am hoping the infamous LAUSD Internet blocking/censorship software lets this through!
WHAT TEACHERS MAKE, OR OBJECTION OVERRULED, OR
IF THINGS DON'T WORK OUT, YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO LAW SCHOOL
By Taylor Mali | http://bit.ly/6giRfG
www.taylormali.com
He says the problem with teachers is, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"
He reminds the other dinner guests that it's true what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do; those who can't, teach.
I decide to bite my tongue instead of his
and resist the temptation to remind the other dinner guests
that it's also true what they say about lawyers.
Because we're eating, after all, and this is polite company.
"I mean, you¹re a teacher, Taylor," he says.
"Be honest. What do you make?"
And I wish he hadn't done that
(asked me to be honest)
because, you see, I have a policy
about honesty and ass-kicking:
if you ask for it, I have to let you have it.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor
and an A- feel like a slap in the face.
How dare you waste my time with anything less than your very best.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall
in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.
No, you may not ask a question.
Why won't I let you get a drink of water?
Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.
I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:
I hope I haven't called at a bad time,
I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.
Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"
And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.
I make parents see their children for who they are
and what they can be.
You want to know what I make?
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write, write, write.
And then I make them read.
I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely
beautiful
over and over and over again until they will never misspell
either one of those words again.
I make them show all their work in math.
And hide it on their final drafts in English.
I make them understand that if you got this (brains)
then you follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you
by what you make, you give them this (the finger).
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
I make a goddamn difference! What about you?
●New York performance poet Taylor Mali has 10 years of experience as a professional spoken word artist; he has one book, one DVD, and four cds; for 10 months, he was the official voice of Burger King; he was a national poetry slam champion four times; three times he appeared on the HBO original series "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry"; for nine years he taught college, high school, and middle school; and once, in a single SCRABBLE game, he earned a score of 581; but MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL, after hearing his work, 526 people have told him they will now become teachers.
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources
PUSHING TEST BOUNDARIES BEYOND THE HORIZON: Themes in the News for the week of Sept. 6-10, 2010 By UCLA IDEA | htt... http://bit.ly/9cl0dA
EdGuess: ACLU SUES, ACTING GOV SIGNS EDU-JOBS, SCHOOLS BORROW TO MEET PAYROLL, EDSOURCE EXPLAINS THE INEXPLICABLE:... http://bit.ly/cVqwHv
THE UNTOUCHABLES IN EDUCATION REFORM: By Walt Gardner | EdWeek Realty Check blog | http://bit.ly/9oQgEc |Walt Gard... http://bit.ly/cnQmEl a
ACLU SUES CALIFORNIA FOR ALLOWING SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO CHARGE FEES: The suit alleges that more than 30 districts re... http://bit.ly/bzDAJR
2 LAWSUITS FILED OVER MOLESTATION OF KINDERGARTEN BOY, GIRL AT NEW RFK (AMBASSADOR) COMMUNITY SCHOOLS COMPLEX: By ... http://bit.ly/bjrmty
L.A. Times: MAGNET STUDENTS RETAIN BUS SERVICE IN L.A. UNIFIED: by Howard Blume | LA Times LA Now September 10, 2... http://bit.ly/cxgZXq
ARTS HIGH SCHOOL, TAKE TWO. Much Has Changed, Including the Principal, at the $232 Million Downtown Campus: After ... http://bit.ly/biJFCU
LUIS SANCHEZ, A TOP AIDE TO TO THE L.A. SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT, WILL RUN FOR OPEN SEAT ON PANEL: By Howard Blume, ... http://bit.ly/9AklXw Thursday, September 09, 2010 9:18:30 PM via twitterfeed
# PALI-HI AND REVERE MS TO SHARE BUSES: By Danielle Gillespie, Staff Writer - Pacific Palisades Palisadian-Post | ht... http://bit.ly/c2NVy5
HAS RAY CORTINES GOT COJONES? If not, LAUSD board could buckle to union over L.A. Times teacher-test-score expose... http://bit.ly/bkXpDJ
V*A*MING AND SLAMMING TEACHERS IN LOS ANGELES: by Gary Ravani - from Thoughts on Public Education (TOP-Ed) - the b... http://bit.ly/9uQkkt
PA. SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT: EDUCATION REFORMERS ‘JUST DON’T GET IT’: Valerie Strauss reports in the Answer Sheet ... http://bit.ly/aLlWKXVALUE ADDED? - Back to School: Grading the Teacher (Letters to the NY Times) - http://nyti.ms/92JDui
VALUE ADDED? - Formula to Grade Teachers’ Skill Gains Acceptance, and Critics - http://nyti.ms/cTaHbe
Los Angeles Unified School District workers rally against budget cuts http://t.co/bm8USVb
Education Week: We Must Shift From Teacher Quality to Teaching Quality http://t.co/5D3k9uI via @educationweek
Getting Schooled: DOWNTOWN LACKING ADUCATION OPTIONS. BUT MANY PARENTS ARE MAKING IT WORK: By David Marklandm | bl... http://bit.ly/ca4gia
BUDGET CUTS POSTPONE TRADITIONAL START OF LAUSD SCHOOL TEAR: by Howard Blume |LA Times/LA Now blog |http://lat.ms/... http://bit.ly/aCtHGk
EARLIER CUTOFF DATE TO ENTER KINDERGARTEN A STP CLOSER IN CALIFORNIA: By Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times A bil... http://bit.ly/a3CYPm
LOS ANGELES SCHOOL NAMED AFTER AL GORE: By Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times | http://bit.ly/c8npeo He's the fir... http://bit.ly/9q8eyg
Letters: STANDING UP FOR TEACHERS: Letters to the Editor of the LA Times | Link Re: September 6, 2010: Re "Teache... http://bit.ly/9nCzX1
SECOND CALIFORNIA CHARTER SCHOOL FOUND TO BE ‘MISUSING’ TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN PAST TWO WEEKS: by Adrienne Verrill... http://bit.ly/9MMvU5
Heard on NPR: TESTING TEACHERS: A ONE HOUR Radio Documentary by Emily Hanford from American Radioworks| AIRED on K... http://bit.ly/avtsvF
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
*Dates and times subject to change. ________________________________________
• SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION BOND OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE:
http://www.laschools.org/bond/
Phone: 213-241-5183
____________________________________________________
• LAUSD FACILITIES COMMUNITY OUTREACH CALENDAR:
http://www.laschools.org/happenings/
Phone: 213-241.8700
What can YOU do?
• E-mail, call or write your school board member:
Yolie.Flores.Aguilar@lausd.net • 213-241-6383
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Marguerite.LaMotte@lausd.net • 213-241-6382
Nury.Martinez@lausd.net • 213-241-6388
Richard.Vladovic@lausd.net • 213-241-6385
Steve.Zimmer@lausd.net • 213-241-6387
...or your city councilperson, mayor, the governor, member of congress, senator - or the president. Tell them what you really think! • Find your state legislator based on your home address. Just go to: http://bit.ly/dqFdq2 • There are 26 mayors and five county supervisors representing jurisdictions within LAUSD, the mayor of LA can be reached at mayor@lacity.org • 213.978.0600
• Call or e-mail Governor Schwarzenegger: 213-897-0322 e-mail: http://www.govmail.ca.gov/
• Open the dialogue. Write a letter to the editor. Circulate these thoughts. Talk to the principal and teachers at your local school.
• Speak with your friends, neighbors and coworkers. Stay on top of education issues. Don't take my word for it!
• Get involved at your neighborhood school. Join your PTA. Serve on a School Site Council. Be there for a child.
• If you are eligible to become a citizen, BECOME ONE.
• If you a a citizen, REGISTER TO VOTE.
• If you are registered, VOTE LIKE THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT.
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