January 9, 2008: Schwarzenegger Drops Plans For Education Reforms

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January 9, 2008: Schwarzenegger Drops Plans For Education Reforms

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Customized Briefing for THERESA CAVANAUGHJanuary 9, 2008

Leading the News

In the Classroom

On the Job

Law & Policy

Special Needs

Also in the News

Leading the News

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Citing budget, Schwarzenegger drops plans for many education reforms.

The Los Angeles Times (1/9, Rothfeld) reports that California Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger ® " said in his annual State of the State address

that he would propose a 'difficult' budget Thursday, " which appears unlikely

to include many anticipated education reforms. In speeches over the last

several months, the governor has called 2008 " the year of education. " A

draft report by a panel he commissioned to propose education reforms in the

state had recommended up to $6.1 billion in spending increases for 2008.

However, in Tuesday's speech, the governor said, " Everyone knows that to

dramatically change our education system, we have to undertake reforms, and

we have to fund those reforms. In light of the current budget situation, of

course, this is not the year to talk about money. "

Governor says California will be first to intervene in districts

failing to meet NCLB goals. The San Francisco Chronicle (1/9, Chorneau)

reports that Schwarzenegger said California would be the first state to

invoke its right under the No Child Left Behind act to intervene in school

districts that have failed to meet federally-mandated testing goals for at

least five years. Though he did not offer specifics, " the governor said he

wanted to work with local officials and the state's superintendent of

schools, Jack O'Connell (D), to develop a new intervention system. "

In the Newsblog for the San Diego Union-Tribune (1/8), Ed Mendel

wrote, " Schwarzenegger apparently has a chance to get cooperation from

school groups if, ironically, he can get additional money for the

[intervention] program while proposing deep cuts in school funding to close

the budget gap. " California faces " a potential $3 billion federal penalty if

student achievement is not improved " in 98 districts. " Schwarzenegger's

education secretary, Long, told reporters that of the 98 districts

roughly 16 need a little help, 75 or 80 have specific problems and a 'small'

group need a state-approved assistance team.

In the Classroom

PISA score report suggests policies may be linked to science scores.

Education Week (1/9, Viadero) reports that the final report on the 2006

Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), which was intended to

measure scientific reasoning in students worldwide, " contains a wealth

of...data that offer clues to what educators and policymakers might do to

improve U.S. students' middling test scores. " The report discusses

" differences in how nations go about the business of schooling...and

pinpoints which of those practices are statistically linked to better

performance on the science portion of the exam. " For example, the report

reveals that scores tended to be highest where local schools have control

over their own budgets. Students in schools that regularly publicize

achievement data scored higher than students in schools that do not. The

report suggests that grouping students by academic ability for all classes

may lower scores by an average of 4.5 points. Students also " scored 8.8

scale-score points higher, on average, for each additional hour of

instruction per week. " The report has many critics, however. Tom Loveless,

educational policy director for the Brookings Institution, believes that

" [t]here's an inherent ideological stance that PISA takes in the exams and

in their interpretation of the results. "

Report shows that few studies have been performed on culture-based teaching.

Education Week (1/9, Zehr) reports, " Many educators of language-minority

students say they teach more effectively when they align their instruction

with their students' culture, " but " few research studies have actually

examined whether culture-based instruction affects the achievement of such

students. " A recent review by the National Literacy Panel on

Language-Minority Children and Youth found that few studies existed on the

topic. The researchers concluded " that not one study showed that

culture-based education improved achievement in reading and writing. " The

U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES) is the

largest source of funding for research on educating English-learners, but

IES spokesman Bruce Friedland says the agency " hasn't seen many applications

for studies on the effectiveness of culture-based education. "

Denver schools draft student maternity leave plan aimed at keeping pregnant

teens in school.

Colorado's Rocky Mountain News (1/8, ) reported, " Denver Public

Schools (DPS) officials are putting together guidance for schools on the

attendance of pregnant students, crafting a plan expected to give them four

to six weeks after childbirth to recover. " The school board acted after a

pregnant East High School student, a pediatrician and a psychology professor

told the board " that new moms were being told to report to class the day

after they're released from the hospital. " With no guidance from the

district, DPS schools and teachers were handling each new mother's

attendance on a case-by-case basis. Students at East, for example, " recalled

one teacher...who refused to accept doctors' notes from students who had to

miss classes for prenatal care. " Under the plan being drafted, new mothers

would be required to complete some work from home during their leave.

" Nationally, school districts such as Minneapolis and Seattle say they also

have maternity leave policies in favor of individual attention. " In Seattle,

pregnant students are eligible for " homebound education services " at state

expense, and " typically receive up to six weeks postpartum care for normal

deliveries. "

Teachers turn vandalism of poet's home into a springboard for teaching his

work.

Vermont CBS affiliate WCAX-TV (1/9) reports that, " On December 28th, vandals

trashed " poet Frost's " national landmark home in Ripton, breaking in

and throwing a booze-fueled party that left at least $10,000 in damage. "

However, " Educators suspect the crime against the Frost farmhouse may

actually stimulate interest in his work. " News reports about the damage have

provided teachers with an opportunity to discuss the poet and introduce his

work in their classes. Middlebury College professor Jay Parini said that

" the kids who broke into Frost's home didn't know who Frost was. And

that itself is a teachable moment. " Jody Gendron, a sixth grade English

teacher at the Albert D. Lawton school in Essex Junction, said the incident

" has ignited a spark of Frost appreciation " in her classes.

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Nebraska high school's seniors teach Spanish to elementary school students.

Nebraska's Kearney Hub (1/9, Friedrich) reports, " Pleasanton High School

Spanish IV students are learning the language and learning about

responsibility by teaching Spanish to younger students. " Once a week, pairs

of high school seniors teach Spanish classes to K-6 students at nearby

Pleasanton Elementary School, " using flashcards, board games, coloring books

and songs. " The students also spend a weekly planning period developing the

lessons. The high school students develop their own language skills in the

lessons, as well as learning responsibility and leadership through classroom

management. The younger see role models in the older students.

Second grade teacher invites mystery readers to class.

Education World (1/9) reports, " Approximately three times each month, a

guest reader -- usually a school staff member or student's family member --

appears in " second grade teacher Vicky 's classroom at California's

Helen Hunt Elementary school. gives students five clues to the

identity of the guest during the week before he or she arrives. The clues,

she said, " move from general to very specific " to help build excitement over

the week. Finding volunteers has not been difficult, she said. She

" introduced the 'Mystery Reader' concept at a Back to School Night event

during the first week of school, and it was enthusiastically embraced by her

students' families. " In weeks when a family member has not been available,

she has asked school staff members to fill in.

New Jersey high school broadcasting class offers local service to its

students.

New Jersey's Daily Journal (1/8, Funderburk) reported that the 8-year-old

Vineland Public Schools Broadcasting (VPSB) " program is operated by a

combination of high school students, the district communication office,

teacher mentors and crew chiefs, " with former graduates rounding " out the

team. " Sbrana, VPSB operations manager and district spokesman,

" believes the crew's efforts are worthwhile, " because " tudents learn

about broadcasting, " real-world employment, and " the value of their services

as eyes of the community for local events. "

On the Job

D.C. Council gives chancellor power to fire non-union employees.

The Washington Post (1/9, B4, , Haynes) reports that Washington,

D.C.'s city council yesterday voted to approve a " controversial " bill to

grant Schools Chancellor A. Rhee " the authority to terminate

nonunion employees without cause. " Rhee said that the legislation " will help

create a 'culture of accountability' in the school system, [and] would

reclassify about 490 of the more than 700 people in the central office. "

Opposing members said the " council was discarding civil service rules that

workers depend on to protect their jobs. "

The Washington Times (1/9, Emerling) adds, " The bill says

administrative employees past a probationary period can be fired 'at the

discretion of the mayor' after they are served with a 15-day separation

notice and as long as they have had a performance evaluation within the

previous six months. But council members amended the bill to name certain

offenses for which an employee can be fired without having a performance

evaluation, including being convicted of a crime after submitting an

employment application and lying on a job application. "

Teacher-training programs stress ethical boundaries.

Pennsylvania's Tribune-Review (1/9, Greenwood) reports that many university

teacher training programs are increasingly focusing on ethical boundaries

between students and teachers. " At California University of Pennsylvania,

keeping an appropriate distance from students emotionally and physically is

discussed throughout a student's undergraduate studies in the College of

Education, said Burroughs, director of public relations for the

university. " Teacher candidates are " subject to an ongoing assessment --

both self-assessment and assessment by faculty -- to determine if they are

prepared to enter the classroom, " according to Burroughs. Alan Lesgold, dean

of the school of education at the University of Pittsburgh, says that his

school begins discussions of teacher-student boundaries during student

orientation. Jay Hertzog, dean of the College of Education at Slippery Rock

University says his instructors stress to potential teachers that, in their

profession, they will be " looked at everywhere [they] go in the community.

If you can't handle that pressure, you need to get out of this profession. "

Law & Policy

Georgia school system applies to convert entire district to charter status.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (1/8, Stepp) reported, " Marietta City

Schools on Tuesday became the second metro area school system to step into

uncharted waters, agreeing to petition the state to become one of Georgia's

first charter school systems. " Georgia law allows entire school districts to

convert to charter status. As charters, the districts would be exempt from

federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind act. State requirements for

teacher credentials, class sizes and instructional time would also be

relaxed. The district's application to convert to charter status must be

approved by the state Department of Education. A decision is expected by

March.

Special Needs

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Study finds no link between autism, mercury-based vaccine preservative.

The AP (1/9) reports, " Autism cases in California continued to climb even

after a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some people blame for the

neurological disorder was removed from routine childhood shots, a new study

found. " Some activists blame the preservative, thimerosal, for many cases of

autism, and " [n]early 5,000 claims alleging a vaccine-autism link have been

lodged with the federal government, which is deciding whether victims should

receive compensation from a government fund. " Thimerosal was removed from

childhood vaccines in 2001, though it is still found in some flu vaccines.

Researchers from the California Department of Public Health studying autism

rates from 1995 to 2007 found no decline in the number of autism cases after

the preservative's use was ended. In fact, the study found that " the

prevalence of autism in children aged 3 to 12 increased throughout the study

period. " Dr. Frombonne, an autism researcher at Montreal Children's

Hospital who was not connected to the study, said the results show " 'no

evidence of mercury poisoning in autism. "

Also in the News

Los Angeles school votes to join mayor's reform project in second round of

balloting.

In continuing coverage from previous briefings, the Los Angeles Times (1/9,

Blume) reports, " Given a second round of balloting, teachers at the Santee

Education Complex voted Tuesday to join the school reform effort of Mayor

Villaraigosa (D), although questions persist about the election

process. " The mayor plans to create a separate governance structure for some

Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools to pilot education

reforms. Teachers and parents at candidate schools were asked to vote on

whether or not to join the mayor's plan last month. Santee failed to record

" the required majority of all 181 eligible voters " in the initial round of

balloting, so a second vote was held Tuesday. " The district justified the

second vote on the grounds that vacationing staff hadn't been able to attend

an informational presentation while at school, " but critics say the extra

vote " wasn't called for in election rules. " While vote totals were not

released Tuesday, district officials said the school narrowly voted to join

the mayor's experiment.

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