By Richard Bammer
The newest Vacaville Unified trustee plans to stress the importance of STEM education as a first order of business.
A Genentech employee and former U.S. Army linguist, Christopher Flask of Vacaville, appointed to the governing board Thursday on a unanimous vote, envisions creating a new “magnet school” that emphasizes STEM, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics.
via Vacaville Unified School District board selects new trustee – The Reporter.
By Michele McNeil
A new report by the Economic Policy Institute finds big flaws in the Race to the Top program and questions how much the $4 billion spent to spur education improvements in the states will actually narrow achievement gaps and improve student outcomes.
The report was released today by the American Association of School Administrators and the Broader Bolder Approach to Education, a national campaign launched by the left-leaning EPI. The Race to the Top is the Obama administration’s signature education-improvement tool, funded originally with $4 billion in economic-stimulus money provided by Congress in 2009.
via Let’s Reverse the Damage From Race to the Top, EPI Report Says – Politics K-12 – Education Week.
AB 484 Now Goes to Governors Desk for signature
Legislation that would move California assessments into an era of critical thinking and deeper learning has now received state Senate and Assembly approval and is headed to Governor Browns desk, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said.
via Legislature Approves AB 484 – Year 2013 CA Dept of Education.
By Alyson Klein
Here we go again: Brokedown Congress is gearing up for its umpteenth game of fiscal chicken, as lawmakers have to craft not one, but likely three separate budget agreements over the next several months to keep the federal government from shuttering.
And yet again, education programs—which have already taken a more-than 5 percent hit through “sequestration“—are caught in the crosshairs.
via Will Congress Get Rid of Sequestration? Don’t Hold Your Breath. – Politics K-12 – Education Week.
By Dan Walters
Gray Davis may have been the most risk-averse governor in living memory and paid the price for his reticence when he was recalled for failing to deal forthrightly with severe budget and energy crises.
But Davis did show some political courage on one matter, championing tougher academic standards for California’s public schools, with testing to show how school systems and individual schools were faring.
via Dan Walters: California school test conflict heating up – Dan Walters – The Sacramento Bee.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today testified before the State Senate Education Committee on Assembly Bill 375, which updates and streamlines the teacher discipline and dismissal process. The bill passed out of committee. Below are Torlakson’s prepared remarks:
Good morning. Thank you, Senator (Carol) Liu and Senator (Mark) Wyland, for the opportunity to be with you today.
via School Employee Dismissal or Suspension Bill – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).
Katrina Schwartz
For the past three years, Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC) has been granting money to a broad range of education ventures that used technology in education. The aim has been to help grow or scale ideas that shows some promise. Recently, however, the organization has steadily moved towards funding schools that want to shift from traditional teaching to more experimental models. This week, the organization announced it will offer a set of grants totaling $3.6 million to two school districts — Washington D.C. and Chicago — with the hopes of building up model schools in other partner cities in the future that have the support of local groups and government.
via NGLC Shifts Focus To Funding Experimental Schools | MindShift.
By Susan Winlow
Where to divvy up some money will be one of the topics discussed Thursday at the Fairfield-Suisun School District’s governing board meeting.
The district in August identified budget priorities for the 2013-14 additional money provided under the state’s new funding formula, now designated as the Local Control Funding Formula. One of the recommendations was to beef up the reserves over the next four years to total an additional $2.2 million. Funding for the increase would come from the unappropriated ending fund balance at the end of each fiscal year.
via School district board to mull staff budget recommendations Daily Republic.
California’s education leaders are lending their support to State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson’s sponsored legislation that will accelerate the entrance of the state’s testing program into the computer age.
Torlakson sent words of appreciation today to San Diego County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Randolph Ward and Long Beach Unified School District Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser for their support of Assembly Bill 484, which is currently before the state Senate.
via Support for Assessment Overhaul Legislation – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).
By Susan Winlow
A longtime, but apparently forgotten, clause in a joint-use statement is tugging on the tight purse strings of a small nonprofit geared toward helping students.
Since 1970, Assist-A-Grad Foundation has put together scholarship sponsors with students in the Fairfield-Suisun School District and Vanden High School, which is in the Travis School District. It has presented close to $3 million in scholarships for local students while operating on a small budget, with most of the dozen or so members kicking in donated expertise to get things done.
via Surprise bill staggers Assist-A-Grad Foundation Daily Republic.
By John Fensterwald
It looks like “High Noon” again for California and the Obama administration over education.
Hours before a key vote in the Legislature, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has warned California not to administer a partial practice or field test on the Common Core standards to some students in lieu of giving the existing tests on state standards to all students next spring – or face consequences.
via Duncan threatens repercussions if California ends state tests for all students | EdSource Today.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the California Department of Education will be distributing nearly $10.8 million to pay Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) test fees for more than 129,000 low-income eligible students.
via Low-Income Students Taking Advanced Tests – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).
By Dan Walters
California is simultaneously implementing two major – even historic – changes in its public school system, and all adults involved pledge that they have the best interests of its 6 million students at heart.
They may be telling the truth about their motives.
via Power struggles resume over California’s public schools Daily Republic.
The Best Buy back to school commercial, “Lidia Marin,” highlights personalization and customization. The viewer finds out that Lidia Marin, a marine biology major, loves marine biology and has a dream to be a marine biologist. Lidia and a Best Buy salesperson enter the dreamlike world of Best Buy, which promises to find “what’s perfect” for Lidia. The message: Best Buy is committed to doing everything it takes to meet the needs of the consumer, and the store is built for personalization and customization.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced the promotion of two veteran California Department of Education (CDE) experts and the hiring of an experienced administrator to guide assessments, career technical education, and child development activities for the agency.
via Three New Division Directors at CDE – Year 2013 (CA Dept of Education).
By Alyson Klein
Congress is back in town this week, but education legislation is likely to remain on the back burner in both chambers for the next month—and maybe even for the rest of the year. One major reason? Syria. Another big reason? The budget.
Lawmakers still need to figure out the spending bills for fiscal year 2014, including the bill that finances the U.S. Department of Education and other programs important for children (such as Head Start).
via What’s Next For Education in Congress – Politics K-12 – Education Week.
Brianna Boyd Editor
Chances are, if your children go to a Dixon school, they have already met Dustin Poore.
Poore, an officer with the Dixon Police Department, is the new School Resources Officer. He stepped into the role when Dixon children went back to school last month and it marks the first time the Dixon Police Department has had someone in that position in nearly two years.
Although modern syllabic languages are far more complex than the hieroglyphic languages of the ancients, a well-placed pictogram (or icon) can still come in handy when you need to communicate a complex concept in a small space. The problem is that finding good icons — images that don’t look like cheap clip art — can seem daunting.
An icon is a simplified picture used to represent a concept or object. They can be a single color or multiple colors, but it’s important to keep icons as simple as possible. They are often a single flat color, but can become increasingly complex, even photos in some cases.
via Design 101 for Educators: An Icon Is Worth (at Least) a Dozen Words | Edutopia.
By Jane Meredith Adams
With chronic absenteeism costing California school districts millions and putting huge numbers of students at academic risk, schools from Willits to Los Angeles and beyond are working harder than ever to address the root causes of absenteeism, including student health, family distress and how connected students feel to adults at school.
Schools have always been concerned about students missing school, but there’s a new focus on those who are chronically absent – defined as those who miss 10 percent or more of the school year in excused or unexcused absences.
Jay Speck, Solano County Superintendent of Schools, responded to today’s release of the 2012-13 California High School Exit Exam CAHSEE and Academic Performance Index API data.
“The Solano County Office of Education’s preliminary review of the CAHSEE and API data released today by the California Department of Education indicates an overall decline in the performance of the schools across Solano County during the past school year. While any decline is disappointing, these results are not surprising given the devastating funding cuts schools have endured over the last five years. I am optimistic that the new resources given to schools this year, targeted towards our neediest learners, will help put our schools back on the positive trend line we have held in the past several years.