In This Issue:  | | • | THE TRAIN THAT IS ABOUT TO HIT | | | • | OBAMA REWRITES 'NO CHILD' LAW | | | • | PARENTS AREN’T READY TO QUIT: They are scrambling to save L.A. Unified libraries | | | • | MIDYEAR CUTS LOOKING LIKELIER: New economic forecast heightens concerns | | | • | 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: | | | | Everything may have changed – and yet it still seems an awful lot like it was before.
Neutrinos traveling faster than light – Einstein said it couldn't happen. Not in physics. Not in quantum mechanics. Not in this or any parallel universe. No matter who pulls the strings. [New Data Put Cosmic Speed Limit To The Test : NPR http://n.pr/nCJniL]
Or - for you creationists out there: capital "W": Who.
In reality (what a concept!) nothing changed except the way we look at it; "it" being merely everything itself. Those little neutrinos did just as they always have - they traveled from CERN to Abruzzo like neutrinos have since the Big Bang. We just need to look at them differently.
Expanding the metaphor to include pop culture and baseball: The movie "Moneyball".
Baseball was always data+statistics driven. But Billy Beane (aka Brad Pitt) used different statistics; he exchanged batting-average for on-base-percentage and used new algorithms instead of the old tired back o' th' baseball card algorithms. He changed the way some look at the game forever – and the game not at all. It's still sixty-feet-six-inches from the rubber to the plate and ninety feet between the bases and the ball is still 2.9 inches in diameter with 108 stitches. But the paradigm shifted and the quantum was leapt.
As it was with No Child Left Behind. Some wishful thinking was applied to some fuzzy business logic and some real math was applied to some projected test scores and the spurious statistical analysis seemed to equal the Lake Woebegonian goal of Every Child Above Average. Schools were required to have 100% of their students proficient in math and reading by 2014. Those schools that fail face staff dismissals, conversion to a charter school or complete shutdown.
That part of it – the every child proficient and every school excellent by 2014 was totally impossible – an apollonian goal like 100% Graduation and World Peace: A miracle guaranteed by legislation. The Kellogg-Briand treaty of 1928 made war illegal …but it was a worthy goal.
NCLB expired September 30, 2007 – and no one interred, revised, amended, or brought it into alignment with realty. It continued on like the undead in a zombie movie.
Instead we tried to enforce it. Schools that didn't meet the goals were "failing". Educators who didn't meet the desired outcomes were transferred, shamed and sometimes fired. And god forbid: if you questioned the goals you didn't believe that Every Child Can Succeed. Movies were made. Numbered balls were pulled from the bowl. Finger pointers were deified+demonized. And Michelle Rhee shall lead us to the Promised Land. Or charter school operators. Or voucher programs in Indiana.
The good news is we started to look-at and work-to-address significant subgroups. We started to consider Hispanic and Black students, English Language Learners, Special Ed. Boys. We set high standards (probably none higher than in California). Every child can succeed, Every child should succeed. We have begun to look at the stats in the way that Einstein taught us: Over the moving curved surface of space-time.
AND ON FRIDAY THE SUN CAME UP. Moneyball opened in theaters and physicists all over the globe looked at those 60 nanoseconds and the Obama Administration said "Enough already!" – if Congress won't act on NCLB we must.
And we will all find new way to look-at and live-in this new reality. And the stock markets up-ticked slightly – but not enough to make up for how they went down earlier in the week because German bankers had loaned too much money to Greeks – turning good German money into bad Greek debt. And now, as a result – Greek parents will have to repay the debt by purchasing their children's school books themselves. If they still have a job.
Archimedes said with a long lever and the right fulcrum he could move the world. Einstein sought a spot in space-time to observe the cosmos. They were both geniuses suffering from hubris+hyperbole.
And so, ¡Onward/Adelante!
-smf
ON MONDAY PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOUR SCHOOL.
If you are a teacher or an administrator take roll of who's there and who's not. If you are a parent go to your child's or children's' school(s) and check out the front office and the library. The counselors' office. The nurse's office. Who's there? who's gone?
If you work at a district or the central office call over to the last school you worked at. Ask if there are clerks missing. The librarian? The nurse? Counselors? Were they RIFed on Friday? Or over the summer? Or last year?
Is the school clean enough? Safe enough? Are the students getting enough arts and music and PE and playground supervision and healthcare and counseling and help in the library? Enough time to eat lunch?
"Child as he was, he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery. He rose from the table; and advancing to the master, basin and spoon in hand, said: somewhat alarmed at his own temerity:
'Please, sir, I want some more.'
The master was a fat, healthy man; but he turned very pale. He gazed in stupified astonishment on the small rebel for some seconds, and then clung for support to the copper. The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear.
'What!' said the master at length, in a faint voice.
'Please, sir,' replied Oliver, 'I want some more.'
The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arm; and shrieked aloud for the beadle.
The board were sitting in solemn conclave, when Mr. Bumble rushed into the room in great excitement, and addressing the gentleman in the high chair, said,
'Mr. Limbkins, I beg your pardon, sir! Oliver Twist has asked for more!'
There was a general start. Horror was depicted on every countenance.
'For MORE!' said Mr. Limbkins. 'Compose yourself, Bumble, and answer me distinctly. Do I understand that he asked for more, after he had eaten the supper allotted by the dietary?'
'He did, sir,' replied Bumble.
'That boy will be hung,' said the gentleman in the white waistcoat. 'I know that boy will be hung.'
- Charles Dickens, "Oliver Twist"
THE TRAIN THAT IS ABOUT TO HIT
Themes in the News for the week of Sept. 19-23, 2011 by UCLA IDEA | http://bit.ly/qxsvkm
09-23-2011 - When educators or politicians propose school reform legislation, they should be able to explain in some detail how the new law is expected to help achieve the desired goal—including how to pay for new practices, how long it will take to close achievement gaps, and whether some children in some schools or states might benefit while others won’t. It’s not enough to set policies in motion and hope the thorny obstacles will somehow be resolved. Without explaining and defending credible pathways to goals, lawmakers can create new problems instead of solving old ones.
Two stories in the recent news highlight the pitfalls of education policies that lack detailed or even logical explanations of how the policies are supposed to work. One story begins with some good news. President Barack Obama has shown willingness to waive some of the more punitive measures of the No Child Left Behind law. Faults in this law were evident when NCLB was first discussed over 10 years ago. Meanwhile, there has been a lot of frustration and wasted time before legislators have gotten around to some needed fixes.
However, in exchange for removing some elements of the bad legislation, states would have to adopt measures that link teacher effectiveness to test scores (Time, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The full scope of possible trade-offs or leverage in the full bill isn’t yet clear, but the details don’t seem to include powerful levers to ensure the basics of healthy schools: reworking education fiscal policy, well-trained teachers, and a fair and just response to all children’s educational needs.
In another story, a survey by Washington, D.C.-based Center on Education Policy found that a majority of districts in states that have adopted the common core standards are unprepared to implement them this school year.
The survey supports critics who have long said that raising standards without providing funding for materials and teacher training would not add much to children’s learning. Seventy-six percent of districts in adopting states said funding was a “major challenge.” Only 29 percent had assigned or were planning to assign a resource teacher to help classroom teachers include the new standards (Washington Post, Educated Guess).
“What it says to me is that there is a large percentage that don’t seem to understand the train that is about to hit them,” said William H. Schmidt, Michigan State University education professor (Education Week).
Common core, like teacher evaluations, presumes that there is adequate and equal capacity among schools and states. Likewise, teacher performance, and therefore, evaluation, varies according to the conditions for learning in different schools and states, including differences in class sizes, provision of teacher aides, professional development, and well-trained supervisors to observe and provide feedback to teachers.
California’s capacity is very weak, and it has gotten worse as budget cuts have eviscerated programs and personnel. UCLA IDEA has analyzed data recently released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the 2009-10 school year covering all states and Washington, D.C.1 Accordingly, California ranks:
• 49TH IN STUDENTS PER TEACHER. The state’s average is 22.4 students per high school teacher, whereas the nation averages 12 students per high school teacher.
• 51ST IN STUDENTS PER GUIDANCE COUNSELOR. Each California counselor serves 810 students, whereas the nation averages 459 per counselor.
• 51ST IN STUDENTS PER LIBRARIAN. While the nation averages 949 students per school librarian, California is almost six times higher averaging 5,489 students per school librarian.
This picture is based on the latest figures available. The outlook has only gotten worse since 2009-10 with further budget gaps leading to cutbacks in more programs and staff. With conditions like these, California’s ability to implement the new standards or new expectations under No Child Left Behind is untenable.
1 Chen, C. (2011). Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment and Staff Counts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2009–10 (NCES 2011-347). U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 9/20/11 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch.
OBAMA REWRITES 'NO CHILD' LAW
By Laura Meckler And Stephanie Banchero, Wall Street Journal | http://on.wsj.com/q2CgS1
September 23, 2011 - President Barack Obama is set to replace key planks of former President George W. Bush's signature No Child Left Behind education law, allowing many schools to escape looming punishment if their states adopt a new set of standards.
Under the new system, which Mr. Obama plans to announce Friday, states would qualify for a waiver from existing rules by requiring, among other things, that evaluations of teachers and principals be linked to the results of student tests and other measures of performance.
"Our administration will provide flexibility from the law in exchange for a real commitment to undertake change," Mr. Obama said Thursday in a statement.
The 2002 law has infused accountability into education across the nation, but has also garnered widespread criticism for its rigidity. Schools are required by 2014 to have 100% of students proficient in math and reading. Those schools that fail face severe consequences, including staff dismissals, conversion to a charter school or closure altogether.
The White House had hoped a bipartisan coalition in Congress would rewrite the law by now. But legislation has stalled, leading the administration to bypass lawmakers altogether. The act gives the Education secretary broad authority to let states bypass provisions of the law.
The vast majority of states are expected to apply for waivers. Those that receive them won't be required to have all students proficient by 2014, but will be instructed to set "ambitious but achievable goals."
To qualify, states must meet three tests. First is the rigorous evaluation system for teachers and principals.
Second, they must set high achievement standards. Under existing law, states can set their own standards, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said many set the bar too low. Under the new waiver program, students who meet standards must be considered ready for college or a career.
Third, states must develop strategies targeted to the worst-performing schools. For the bottom 5% of schools, that means turnaround plans akin to those under the existing rules. Other interventions must be targeted to another 10% of schools deemed low-performing.
President Obama is set to replace key planks of former President Bush's signature No Child Left Behind education law, allowing many schools to escape punishment if their states adopt a new set of standards. Laura Meckler has details on Lunch Break.
Many Republicans like some of the changes pushed by Mr. Duncan, but object to the mandate coming from Washington, and say the administration is overstepping its bounds in granting these waivers.
"While I appreciate some of the policies outlined in the secretary's waivers plan, I simply cannot support a process that grants the secretary of education sweeping authority to handpick winners and losers," Rep. John Kline (R., Minn.), chairman of the House education committee, said Thursday. Mr. Kline has said his committee would not try to overhaul the law all at once, but in pieces.
Margaret Spellings, who served as education secretary under Mr. Bush and helped write No Child Left Behind, said she worried the new flexibility would allow states to set weak standards. "If these waivers allow the state to promise the sun and the moon and then not follow through—which some of them are famous for doing—then we will see a retrenchment of accountability," said Ms. Spellings, who currently serves as a senior adviser at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, the biggest teachers union, said in an interview that teachers would welcome the relief from the existing law's emphasis on testing, and that his union was comfortable using test results as part of evaluations.
"Every teacher ought to be able to demonstrate evidence of student learning," Mr. Van Roekel said. The union nonetheless believes no current standardized test is reliable and valid.
Mr. Duncan in August said the administration had no choice but to act on its own to change a law four years overdue for a congressional rewrite. He described the existing law as "far too punitive," "far too prescriptive" and filled with perverse incentives.
The move builds on Mr. Duncan's effort to drive change at the state and local level. He has already succeeded in pushing states to make a range of changes in order to compete for money through Race to the Top, a competitive grant program. Among other things, Race to the Top rewarded states that made it easier for charter schools to open. That isn't part of the new waiver guidelines.
Under existing law, states are required to test students in math and reading in third through eighth grade and once in high school—and those tests, opposed by many parents, will continue.
The law has been widely criticized for labeling too many schools as failures, narrowing the school curriculum and prodding states to water down standardized tests. At least 13 states already have sought waivers from the Department of Education, including California, Michigan and Tennessee. South Dakota, Montana and Idaho simply told federal officials they would disregard key aspects of the law.
PARENTS AREN’T READY TO QUIT: They are scrambling to save L.A. Unified libraries
By Steve Lopez, LA Times columnist | http://lat.ms/qG9FhE
September 21, 2011 - Lay off 227 elementary school library aides?
Whack the hours of another 190 aides in half and eliminate their healthcare benefits?Lock up libraries in a school district desperate to lift literacy rates?
Sounds like either a bad joke or a satirical take on the decline of civilization.
But no: It's the working plan for how to save money in Los Angeles Unified, as I laid out last week.
The fight isn't quite over, though. Some folks, who consider the library-demolition idea one of the dumbest things they've ever heard, are firing off letters of protest and working to derail the plan before cutbacks go into effect next week.
"It's just deeply, deeply wrong," said Shelli-Anne Couch, who is scrambling to collect private donations and save her children's library at Atwater Elementary School. "It's just unfathomable, and where do you turn your firepower? Do I go hat in hand trying to raise money, or find some politicians whose heads I can bang together?"
For now, she's chosen the former. Couch, president of her school's parent group, has launched an online campaign to raise $15,000, hoping to save the job of a library aide who works three hours a day. But as of Tuesday, Couch and Friends of Atwater Elementary School had only come up with $2,600.
And it gets even more maddening:
Last year, parents at the school raised $20,000 in grants and private donations to build a reading garden outside the library, an inviting little oasis with benches, redwood planters, an arbor, native plants and vegetables. Nice place to read a book, except that now the library may be closed.
Yes, it's an upside-down, Alice-in-Wonderland world. And parents at another school — West Hollywood Elementary — can't make sense of it.
They've seen their library aide of eight years go from a six-hour daily schedule to a three-hour daily schedule to a layoff notice. Now it looks as if Mia Buis, who is much beloved by parents and students, judging by tributes to her, will be out of work after Friday, even though parents raised money specifically to pay her salary of about $12,000.
"Something is fishy when they say you have to raise money to fund the position, you give them the check, and then they eliminate the position," said an exasperated Stacy Klines, president of Friends of West Hollywood Elementary.
The principal, Julia Charles, is just as frustrated as the parents. Because of union and district policies, she said, parents are sometimes allowed to fund a position, but not to designate a specific person for the job. That means that, despite the parents' efforts, Buis won't be allowed to fill the job because she has less seniority than some other aides. And Charles will have to petition the district to see if she can even get a replacement.
Library aides, the de facto librarians in many schools, aren't the only ones whose jobs are on the line in the current round of LAUSD budget cuts, which couldn't have been timed in a way more disruptive to the start of the school year or demoralizing to staff, parents and students.
Several hundred office aide positions are being eliminated, and hundreds more employees will see their hours slashed. The district has tried to get employees to agree to four furlough days in contract negotiations, which might have saved some jobs, but the next negotiating session isn't scheduled until next week, after cuts are implemented.
Employees and their union reps argue that they've already made big concessions, with many library aides losing half their hours and pay, along with benefits.
In response to my column last week, LAUSD Supt. John Deasy said on KPCC's "Madeleine Brand Show" that primary literacy skills are learned in the classroom, not in the library, and that in this age of deep statewide budget cuts, it's classroom teachers who have to be protected above all else.
Agreed. But has he really looked at all the possible other places to trim?
I know the staff at district headquarters has been slashed the past few years, but Deasy needs to explain why more cutting isn't possible at a time when school libraries — SCHOOL LIBRARIES! — are on the chopping block.
Deasy, who has surrounded himself with handsomely compensated guys in suits while sending layoff notices to $15,000-a-year library aides, also spoke on KPCC about his effort to raise $200 million from private sources. If he can make it rain that hard, is there a better way to spend the cash than to prioritize libraries in a district where thousands of students have little access to books?
At most schools, it's not possible for parents to raise money for library aides or anything else. And at the few schools that can raise money, the inflexibility of the district and the unions makes things difficult if not impossible. There is no good reason that a library aide who knows the staff and the students should be transferred, especially after parents have forked over money to keep the aide in the school family.
Is the plan to drive as many families out of the district as possible?
"It's a series of agonizing Sophie's choices," LAUSD school board member Steve Zimmer emailed me during a district meeting Tuesday, acknowledging the district is going to "shutter the libraries" and "waste all the funding for books" in the process.
"How would you decide between a library aide and lowering class size? And have you heard about all the cuts in school transportation? About magnet kids waiting for buses at 6:15 a.m.? And special education students having to ride for over an hour?"
"This is what public education looks like in the great recession.
"This is the new LAUSD normal."
Maybe so, but when do district officials stop waving a white flag, stand up for the kids and begin to fight?
MIDYEAR CUTS LOOKING LIKELIER: New economic forecast heightens concerns
By John Fensterwald - Educated Guess | http://bit.ly/oewZ16
In the latest Field Poll, two-thirds of voters said it was a bad idea for the Legislature to impose automatic midyear cuts in K-12 and higher education if revenues come up short. Based on the latest economic data, a lot of Californians could be angry come January.
The state’s cash receipts in August, combined with the latest ominous UCLA Anderson Forecast, make it increasingly unlikely that the state will take in enough revenue to avoid as much as $4 billion in layered, automatic cuts. And that should make districts, which are facing a possible midyear 4 percent cut or as many as seven fewer school days, increasingly nervous.
After the first two months of the fiscal year, the state is running about 5 percent, or $596 million, behind the revenue forecast of $12.1 billion at this point. Sales and corporate taxes were in the red after two months, and the personal income tax – the biggest source of revenue – was slightly ahead. In total, July was a disaster, and August was only 1 percent off.
But there is a lot of ground to make up if the state is to avoid cuts, and little time to do it. In November, the Legislative Analyst’s Office must recommend whether to make cuts, using projections based on only the first four months of revenues. The Department of Finance must recommend in December, based on the first five months, without having the benefit of knowing data from the big revenue months of December, January, April, and June, tracking Christmas sales and quarterly income tax receipts. So the LAO and Finance will have to do guesswork.
The UCLA Anderson Forecast won’t make it easy for them to err on the side of optimism. While predicting that there will not be another recession, economists at the school of management at UCLA cut the growth rate in both the national and state economies and forecast continuing high unemployment, particularly in California, where the jobless rate will “hover around 12 percent” for the rest of this year and remain above 11 percent for the next two years.
Three months ago, UCLA had forecast job growth increasing 2.4 percent in 2012; now it’s saying it will be 0.6 percent. Personal income was to grow 5.3 percent in 2012; that has dropped to 3.6 percent, according to the September forecast.
HOW THE TRIGGER WOULD WORK
In order to balance the budget without raising taxes, legislators in June built in an extra $4 billion in revenue. They did so after more revenues than they expected rolled in; May was especially healthy. Since then, however, there have been three straight months below projections.
If state revenues are projected to come in between $1 billion and $2 billion below budget, then the state will lop off $600 million to the university systems, child care, and health programs. If revenues fall short between $2 billion and $4 billion, then as much as $1.9 billion for K-12 schools, including $248 million in home-to-school bus transportation funding, will be cut. The latter is particularly alarming rural school districts, where transportation is a proportionately larger portion of their budget. They fear that without transportation, attendance will fall, followed by cuts in state funding tied to student attendance – a dangerous spiral. But in terms of dollars, more than half of the transportation cuts will affect urban districts with low-income children. Stephen Rhoads, a lobbyist with Strategic Education Services in Sacramento, estimates the loss at $49 per student in districts where low-income children comprise greater than 75 percent of the district.
The Legislature has directed that if there are midyear K-12 cuts, they should be in the form of furlough days, up to seven, depending on how much revenue falls short. But furloughs must be negotiated with local unions, and so far not many have signed on. One reason is that the Legislature hasn’t amended the law stating that teachers must work at least 175 days to get credit for a full year toward their pensions. If teachers end up working 168 or 170 days, they want that defined as a full year for pension purposes.
School Services of California, finance and advocacy consultants for many districts, is already calling on Gov. Jerry Brown not to pull the trigger on K-12 cuts in January and to deal with the potential shortfall in next year’s budget. School Services has advised districts to prepare for a 4 percent midyear cut averaging $260 per student for a unified school district.
But so far, Brown has not been so inclined. Last week, he vetoed SB X1-6, which would have delayed a $10 per unit increase in community college fees, to $46 per unit, by six months under the trigger, and would have required Brown to present alternatives to the automatic cuts.
In his veto message, he wrote, “This year – for the first year in a long time – we passed a no-gimmicks, on time budget. Why would we undermine the plan that has earned widespread respect and helped stabilize California’s finances?”
HIGHLIGHTS, LOWLIGHTS & THE NEWS THAT DOESN'T FIT: The Rest of the Stories from Other Sources
Remember The Kansas City Schools superintendent (Broad Class of ’08) who resigned to run ‘school reform’ in Michigan?: KANSAS CITY SCHOOLS LOSE ACCREDITATION - http://bit.ly/nPyNaS
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SETS HIGH BAR FOR FLEXIBILITY FROM NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND IN ORDER TO ADVANCE EQUITY AND SUPP... http://bit.ly/nllr86
NASBE WELCOMES FLEXIBILITY FOR STATES PURSUING COLLEGE- AND CAREER- READY AGENDA; CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE ESEA/N... http://bit.ly/qpjf62
LAUSD TEST GAINS – A REASON TO CHEER: By Gary Toebben - President & CEO of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Comme... http://bit.ly/q8dgs6
DUELLING TWEETERS: Recovery Day …or everyday?: All the little birds on J-Bird St. Love to hear the robin goi... http://bit.ly/qCey4p
JOHN DEASY/THE HUFF POST INTERVIEWS: LAUSD Superintendent Talks School, Controversy And Cafeteria Food …and Zorr... http://bit.ly/qSJWxd
LACCD scandal: COMMUNITY COLLEGE REVIEW FINDS CONTRACT-AWARD ‘IRREGULARITIES’: An internal review questions the... http://bit.ly/qXbpFE
ADMINISTRATORS’ UNION BARGAINING BULLETIN: Tentative Agreements Reached: From he THE AALA UPDATE Week of Septem... http://bit.ly/nY6D3V
LAUSD PACT WITH ADMINISTRATORS UNION WILL FACTOR IN NEW TEACHER EVALUATIONS: By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer | LA... http://bit.ly/r5CfoQ
OBAMA TO WAIVE PARTS OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND + THE END IS NEAR FOR NCLB + more: Obama to Waive Parts of No Child... http://bit.ly/pMAKao
California’s Parent Trigger: PARENTS STRUGGLE FOR POWER TO REFORM SCHOOLS: By JENNIFER MEDINA | NY Times | http:... http://bit.ly/pdnTJO
L.A. SCHOOLS BRACE FOR WAVE OF LAYOFFS: BUDGET: District set to let go more than 1,100 nonteaching employees. ... http://bit.ly/oSczKX
D.C. EDUCATOR TO BECOME PRINCIPAL OF L.A. ARTS HIGH SCHOOL: Rory Pullens, who leads a well-established performin... http://bit.ly/qrQuHI
L.A. SCHOOL DISTRICT AND ADMINISTRATORS AGREE ON CONTRACT: -- Jason Song. LA Times | lat.ms/pmHhaU Septe... http://bit.ly/pBioM0
Vaccine aversion: CALIFORNIA LEADS IN U.S. IN MEASLES CASES + STATE REPORTS 10-YEAR HIGH IN MEASLES CASES+ CDPH ... http://bit.ly/oySAus
REPORT FROM THE STACKS: Will the last one out of the library please turn the darkness on?: ... http://bit.ly/nMQfJu
PARENTS AREN’T READY TO QUIT: They are scrambling to save L.A. Unified libraries: By Steve Lopez, LA Times colum... http://bit.ly/na8DZN
TRUANCY CRACKDOWN SHOULD FOCUS ON CLASS, NOT COURT: Daily News Editorial | http://bit.ly/nA5ei2 09/21/2011 - TH... http://bit.ly/qxtNiy
SCHOOLS BACK BROWN GRAB OF CRA FUNDS: By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer, LA Daily News [from the Contra Costa Times... http://bit.ly/pwOJs6
GOVERNORS FROM ALL SIDES OF THE AISLE COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AT THE 201... http://bit.ly/nogiqg
PSC 3.0: FAMILY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PLAN – The PowerPoint: by smf for 4LAKidsNews This is the PowerPoint pre... http://bit.ly/olaMJe
CALIFORNIA VOTERS OPPOSE AUTOMATIC TRIGGER BUDGET CUTS, POLL SHOWS: Gov. Brown: “The plan has earned widespread ... http://bit.ly/qN4pRo
Dangerous thinkers, thinking dangerously: NewSchools’ CEO TED MITCHELL: My Best Idea For K-12 Education + smf’s ... http://bit.ly/rlh2ag
CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS TURN AWAY UNVACCINATED STUDENTS + TOUGHER LAWS CONSIDERED FOR UNVACCINATED STUDENTS: Californ... http://bit.ly/qzMN7W
2 stories+UTLA response: BADLY PERFORMING LAUSD SCHOOLS CAN BE RUN BY CHARTER OPERATORS, JUDGE SAYS: KPCC & wire... http://bit.ly/qeNf0M
Mayor Tony goes to Washington, gets ‘Champion for Charters’ award: “GOP SHOULD SEE SCHOOL SPENDING NEEDS, DEMS S... http://bit.ly/nUU3s7
BROAD FOUNDATION ALUMS INFILTRATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS NATIONWIDE, PUSH PRIVATIZATION AGENDA: UPRISING RADIO/kpfk | http://bit.ly/pwzKoN
EVENTS: Coming up next week...
Save the Date/Make your Reservation
The National Eating Disorders Association Presents a free Teen Summit
"MAKING REAL THE NEW IDEA: BODY IMAGE, SELF ESTEEM & THE MEDIA "
Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa
1755 North Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90028
Saturday, October 15, 2011
11:00 AM - 2:30 PM
http://bit.ly/rk6FMT
*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:
Tamar.Galatzan@lausd.net • 213-241-6386
Monica.Garcia@lausd.net • 213-241-6180
Bennett.Kayser@lausd.net • 213-241-5555
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 Brown: 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. THEY DO!.
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