Solano College, faculty reach tentative agreement – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

A contract negotiation stalemate between the Solano Community College District and its faculty association broke on Wednesday when both sides came to a proposed agreement after a year of talks that went to impasse in December.

Negotiations were part of a three-year contract that expires in June.The contract was ratified in 2012 knowing that three key items – salary, workload and teacher evaluations – would be revisited in the third year of the contract. While other issues factored in, the divisive problem was money.

The district faculty wanted a raise; Wade Larson, the associate vice president of human resources, said that with a $2.1 million budget deficit, there was no money for raises.

via Solano College, faculty reach tentative agreement Daily Republic.

Program encourages children, teens to ride bikes to school – Daily Republic

By Kevin W. Green

Students across the nation will bike to school May 6 in celebration of National Bike to School Day.

The Solano Safe Routes to School program is encouraging children and teens to tune up their bikes, strap on their helmets and join in on the ride, according to a program press release.

The program promotes walking and bicycling safely to and from school, with Bike to School Day one of many activities offered to elementary and middle school students in Solano County, the release said. Other programs include bicycle safety rodeos, walking school buses, traffic safety assemblies, walking Wednesdays and walk and roll events, which encourage children and teens to walk or ride their bikes to school, the release said.

via Program encourages children, teens to ride bikes to school Daily Republic.

‘We were all anticipating the challenges’ of Common Core | EdSource

By Laurie Udesky

EdSource is conducting a series of interviews featuring educators’ experiences with the Common Core State Standards. San Jose Unified is one of six districts that EdSource is following during implementation of the new standards. For more information about the Common Core, check out our guide.

Vito Chiala has been the principal of Overfelt High School in San Jose for eight years. Prior to that he was assistant principal of the school for three years, and before that he taught there for three years.

Chiala’s first teaching assignment was at Foothill High School in San Jose. Chiala, however, said he had not intended to be an educator. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in English at San Francisco State University, he managed restaurants at San Francisco’s Westin St. Francis Hotel. But Chiala felt something was missing. “I didn’t feel like I was making an impact on society,” he said. A friend told him about an opening at Foothill High School in East San Jose, a continuation school, where he would work with students who had been failing academically. His job was to help prepare them for taking the high school equivalency, or GED, test.

via ‘We were all anticipating the challenges’ of Common Core | EdSource#.VS6Rx2ctHGg#.VS6Rx2ctHGg.

Groups plan next kindergarten readiness event – Daily Republic

By Susan Hiland

The year’s second Kindergarten Readiness Roundup will take place Saturday so parents can assess their children for the start of school.

Professionals will check each child’s vision, hearing and the health of their teeth; assess reading, writing, math skills; and gauge each child’s emotional readiness for kindergarten in the fall of 2015, according to a press release for the event.

Participants will receive a backpack with school supplies while supplies last and information on immunization, nutrition and recommended activities for young children.

via Groups plan next kindergarten readiness event Daily Republic.

Benicia Education Foundation’s 8th annual fundraiser set for sunny Sunday – Benicia Herald

By Keri Luiz

On your marks …

Sunday morning will see hundreds of runners — local, regional and otherwise — preparing for and competing in the eighth annual Run for Education, the Benicia Education Foundation’s big fundraising event to help library and technology programs in the Benicia Unified School District.

At the moment, however, the number of registered runners is down from previous years.

Race Director Teresa Zabrek said Monday that pre-registration is around 450, down a bit from last year, a development she said could be attributed to several factors.

“A few reasons for the lower turnout might be that the beloved teacher, Andy Leiser, from Joe Henderson (Elementary School) that always rallied a huge team of ‘Hounds’ moved away and we had spring break hit right before the run,” Zabrek said. “We hope for a high in-person turnout this week to bring our numbers up.”

via Runners at the ready: Benicia Education Foundation’s 8th annual fundraiser set for sunny Sunday.

Survey: Schools Should Push Soft Skills Needed for Workforce – Education News

By Kristen DeCarr

A new study conducted by Wainhouse Research shows that education stakeholders believe their schools need to be doing more in order to better prepare students for the workforce.

Over 1,000 administrators, teachers, students and parents were surveyed for the study, The Role of Education in Building Soft Skills, in both the United Kingdom and the United States. While 39% of education stakeholders were found to believe that schools were not doing enough to prepare students for the workforce, “many” of the participants said they “believe that schools are doing a decent job focusing on the 3 R’s: reading, writing and mathematics, but are not doing as good a job focusing on other aspects of education essential to preparing learners for entering the workforce.”

In addition, many of those who participated felt that too much time was spent teaching to the test, and that instead more time should be spent learning to collaborate with other students.

via Survey: Schools Should Push Soft Skills Needed for Workforce.

Vallejo school board to mull over proposed vacancy policy – Times Herald

By John Glidden

It wouldn’t be a stretch if the Vallejo school district board decided Wednesday night to name the new proposed section of its board vacancy policy the Richard Porter Act.

After last November’s Vallejo City Unified School District Board of Education election, Porter found himself in second place, and elected to the board.

Porter — who teaches math and science in the district — decided to keep his teaching position and refused to be seated to the board. Due to state law, Porter couldn’t serve on the board and teach in the district at the same time.

Meanwhile, the district board found itself in a unique position on how to fill Porter’s seat, as established board policy only allowed the trustees to make a provisional appointment or call for a special election to fill the vacancy.

via Vallejo school board to mull over proposed vacancy policy.

Travis Unified school board meets tonight – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Approval of online courses for physical education credit; the preliminary approval of the 2015-16 LCAP action plan, including the hiring of two full-time intervention specialists, primarily for English-language learners; and approval of a $927,000 contract for a district food-service provider are on the agenda when Travis Unified leaders meet tonight.

Jim Bryan, assistant superintendent for educational services, will lead the presentation about the PE credit alternative, which, reportedly, district parents are requesting. He will recommend its approval, with conditions.

According to agenda documents, some students say their schedules are “impacted” due to their involvement with school programs such as leadership, music and other electives. It is difficult to meet entrance requirements at some four-year California colleges “while also maintaining enrollment in elective programs,” Bryan wrote in a summary note to the five-member board.

via Travis Unified school board meets tonight.

A Great Awakening for history and social studies | EdSource

For history and social studies teachers in California, the Common Core State Standards are welcome allies in their struggle to liberate their subject from a decade of inattention and irrelevance.

They are encouraged that the new standards stress the importance of research and analytical skills and elevate the importance of historical documents in reading comprehension. They feel valued as colleagues once again.

“Common Core gives us permission to finally teach history and not pretend it is another English class,” said Andrew Pegan, an 8th-grade history teacher in the Compton Unified School District. “That’s why I love Common Core.

”“I feel like we are emerging from the Dark Ages of educational policy,” said Ruth Moore, an 8th-grade history and English teacher at Santa Rosa Middle School.

via A Great Awakening for history and social studies | EdSource#.VSwJlWctHGg#.VSwJlWctHGg.

FSUSD board unlikely to fund elementary school music – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Budget priorities for Fairfield-Suisun Unified’s 2015-16 budget “have already been set,” and they do not include a full restoration of the district’s elementary music program, said Superintendent Kris Corey.

“Our financial picture hasn’t changed” since district leaders unveiled from the January budget proposal of well more than $160 million for the coming year, she said.

Her remarks came one day after students, parents and some community members from Music For Our Children rallied outside the district’s central offices on Hilborn Road, about 30 minutes before a governing board meeting.

They also came about six weeks after the board considered $2 million in budget increases for, among other things, a full-time assistant principal at Armijo High; nearly four full-time career tech education teachers; and technology replacement, the latter item by far the biggest outlay, at $500,000.

via FSUSD board unlikely to fund elementary school music.

Bike to School Day poster contest winners named – The Reporter

Numerous school children throughout Solano County got into the spirit to promote National Bike to School Day on May 6 by participating in the Bike to School Day 2015 Poster Contest sponsored by the Solano Safe Routes to School program.

“We had a great response from students across the county and were extremely pleased with the number of entries we received,” said Elizabeth Patterson, chair of the Solano Transportation Authority Board and mayor of Benicia. “The judging panel had a tough time selecting the winners.”

Patterson congratulated to the following:

Kindergarten through 5th grade

• First place Ashley Lamb, 4th grade, Fairmont Charter School, Vacaville Unified School District.

via Bike to School Day poster contest winners named.

STEM grant attracts local math, science teachers – Daily Republic

By Susan Winlow

STEM education – science, technology, engineering and math – just got a $1.8 million boost in Solano County schools.

The Solano County Office of Education received the grant to enhance STEM education through a partnership with the University of California, Davis Computing-STEM Center.

The grant will provide professional development over the next three years for up to 75 teachers in Solano and Contra Costa counties.The grant was awarded by the California Department of Education, through the California Math and Science Partnership, for teachers in grades fifth through 12th who teach math, science or math-based career technical education.

via STEM grant attracts local math, science teachers Daily Republic.

Anonymous Social Media Generating School Bomb Threats – Education News

By Kristin DeCarr

Smartphone apps, Internet phone services and social media are becoming increasingly popular ways to send in anonymous bomb threats or other threats of violence to schools, causing evacuations and police response.

While the majority of these threats turn out to be hoaxes, the use of modern technology is making it increasingly difficult to determine whether or not the threat is real and to find the person responsible.

One such instance saw a 16-year-old student at Gateway High School in Kissimmee, Florida being arrested last week after posting a bomb threat on Twitter. According to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred because “she was angry and did not want to go to school.”

School safety experts have reported an increase in cases like that one. Figures from the National Center for Education show 5,700 incidents for the 2009-2010 school year, the latest year available.

And the incidents are not simply occurring within school walls or even the same neighborhood.

via Anonymous Social Media Generating School Bomb Threats.

Art appreciation helps young children learn to think and express ideas | EdSource

By Susan Frey

Art lessons for pre-kindergarten students are moving beyond finger paints and into the worlds of van Gogh, da Vinci and Rivera.

Teachers in a number of districts in California are using classic works of art to inspire some of the youngest students to observe closely, think critically and discuss respectfully – all key elements of the Common Core approach to learning.

By looking closely together as a class at a Picasso or a Cezanne, 4- and 5-year-olds are learning how to observe and translate their thoughts into language and listen and respond to multiple perspectives.

This approach for K-12 students was developed about 20 years ago by the co-founders of Visual Thinking Strategies, a nonprofit based in New York that provides training in the method to schools and art museums. More recently, the nonprofit has introduced the concept to pre-K classes.

via Art appreciation helps young children learn to think and express ideas | EdSource#.VSgCIGctHGg#.VSgCIGctHGg.

Elementary school music backers sing its praises in Fairfield – Daily Republic

By Ryan McCarthy

A Rodriguez High School senior who told trustees about the weekly music instruction he received as a Nelda Mundy Elementary student – and his $20,000-a-year scholarship at Pepperdine University after playing the trombone at a January audition – was among speakers asking Fairfield-Suisun School District trustees Thursday to restore music instruction that’s been cut to an hour a month at elementary schools.

“I don’t know I would have qualified,” Noah Shaw, 17, said of the scholarship,” if I had not started at Nelda Mundy Elementary.”

More than a dozen speakers during public comment at the trustees meeting lauded the benefits of music instruction.

via Elementary school music backers sing its praises in Fairfield Daily Republic.

Poll: Most Californians support ‘Breakfast After the Bell” bill – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

A statewide poll released Thursday finds that two-thirds of California voters support an Assembly bill dubbed “Breakfast After the Bell,” requiring thousands of schools to also offer breakfast after the start of the classes.

In a telephone survey of 1,251 registered voters, 64 percent expressed support for a proposal requiring public schools to offer breakfast after the school day begins, such as in homeroom or during a midmorning break. Currently, most schools offering federally funded breakfast serve it only before the school day starts, a policy that effectively denies the nutrition and academic benefits of a school breakfast to 4.3 million California students, Tia Shimada, a spokeswoman for California Food Policy Advocates, which commissioned the poll and sponsored the bill, wrote in a press release.

The poll also indicated that nearly four out of five California voters (77 percent) believe what many reliable studies have shown: Starting the day with breakfast boosts student academic achievement. A recent national study, which Shimada did not cite in the release, links school breakfast participation with higher math, science and reading test scores. Other studies have shown that school breakfast improves attendance, behavior and student health, she noted.

via Poll: Most Californians support ‘Breakfast After the Bell” bill.

Career Pathways Consortia Grants Announced – Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education)

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today announced that the first batch of $250 million in funding is being awarded this year to schools and their partners for career education programs.

Eight rural schools and districts, stretching from Tehama County to San Diego County, will share $4.2 million in California Career Pathways Trust (CCPT) consortia development and implementation grants. They are the first to receive program grants directed specifically at the states rural regions. The list of winners is at Funding Results: California Career Pathways Consortium Development Grant.

The program builds on Torlaksons Career Readiness Initiative to support career technical education and better prepare students for 21st century jobs. Grant recipients must create sustained career pathways programs that connect businesses, K-12 schools, and community colleges. The remainder of the awards will be announced later this spring.

via Career Pathways Consortia Grants Announced – Year 2015 (CA Dept of Education).

How Memory, Focus and Good Teaching Can Work Together to Help Kids Learn | MindShift

By Katrina Schwartz

Everyone has a pet theory on how to improve public education: better professional development for teachers, more money, better curriculum, testing for accountability, teacher incentives, technology, streamlined bureaucracy. Policymakers have been trying these solutions for years with mixed results. But those who study the brain have their own ideas for improving how kids learn: focus on teaching kids how to learn.

“The more you teach students how to learn, the less time you have to spend teaching curriculum because they can [understand] it on their own,” said William Klemm, senior professor of neuroscience at Texas A&M University at the Learning and the Brain conference’s “Making Lasting Memories.” “I think the real problem is that students have not learned how to be competent learners,” he said. “They haven’t learned this because we haven’t taught them.”

via How Memory, Focus and Good Teaching Can Work Together to Help Kids Learn | MindShift.

Students struggle to get past instructions on practice tests | EdSource

By Laurie Udesky

Third-grade teacher Annie Long grappled with a new problem when her students reviewed the online practice test to prepare for the Common Core-aligned assessments they will be taking in a few weeks. The instructions were too complicated for many of them to understand.

The practice test instructions included words such as “scan” and “sources” – words that were unfamiliar to the majority of her class at Bayshore Elementary School in Daly City.

But they were not the only students struggling with these elements of the practice test. High school students in San Jose interviewed by EdSource Today also had difficulty understanding the instructions and how to navigate different sections of the test, as did 3rd-graders in Fresno.

via Students struggle to get past instructions on practice tests | EdSource#.VSa1h2ctHGg#.VSa1h2ctHGg.

SCOE receives $1.8M to boost STEM know-how in grades 5-12 – The Reporter

By Richard Bammer

Beginning this summer and for the next three years, some public school students in grades five through 12 in Solano and Contra Costa counties will learn a lot more about computer programming and robotics, thanks to a $1.8 million grant to boost teacher development.

Solano County Office of Education leaders on Wednesday announced it had received the money to enhance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education through an alliance with the UC Davis Computing-STEM Center. Through 2018, the money will provide professional development for some 60 to 75 teachers in the two counties.

In a press release, Sandy Jessop, an assistant superintendent at SCOE, said the California Department of Education awarded the grant through the California Math and Science Partnership (CaMSP) program.

The money will be used to give math, science or career-tech teachers more strategies to increase student engagement and achievement, noted Jessop.

via SCOE receives $1.8M to boost STEM know-how in grades 5-12.