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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Story Of My Son's Education

I was talking to a friend today and some things came to mind. Many people want to know why I fight with the school district and the State. I have earned quite a reputation as a crazy mom. There are many people that are happy with the education that their children are getting and wonder why I am not. Well, let me explain it to you.


I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived in a very small town in Illinois with the population of 1,200. I had twin daughters that were 5 years old and were in all day kindergarten. The town was having testing for children 3-5 years of age. I thought it was to see where they were academically and what they needed to work on prior to starting kindergarten. My son was three years old and the only child that I had home during the day. I signed him up for the testing and took him up to the school. I wasn’t sure if he would go through it because he was a screamer. I don’t mean that he screamed every once in awhile. I mean that he screamed 24/7. For the first two and a half years of his life he would sleep for 30 minutes and scream for the next two hours. This went on all of the time. He didn’t speak or even make noises. He never said MaMa or DaDa. He just screamed. When you tried to hold him he would arch his back. He never reached for me and even really acknowledged me. He just screamed. I had asked the pediatrician and he said boys don’t talk as early as girls and some babies cry more than others. So, they took him into another room for awhile and when they brought him back they said that if they felt that he needed to start Early Childhood they would call me within a week. Within three days I received a phone call. They weren’t sure what his issues were, but the district felt that he "wasn't right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.

This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that would affect my judgment for the next ten years.

These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.

When he was four they did some educational evaluations. This was before the internet. This was before anyone knew anything about autism. They said that his tests came back with some very odd results. They said that he was way at one end of the curve on some things and at the other end of the curve on other things. There was nothing in the middle. They said that he didn’t make eye contact. I had never noticed this. They said that he didn’t play with other children. That he would only parallel play. They said that he used dramatic and constructive play, but not interactive play. He could name colors, count up to 12, and recognized numbers. He could sequence objects by size and understood concept of big. He needed a routine and things had to always be the same and if it was not it would throw him off. He would flap his arms and rock when he became excited. He couldn’t follow simple instructions. He displayed a short attention span. He was very interested in Thomas the Tank Engine and could name every engine, their color, and their number. He could tell the name of a Disney VHS tape just by the font. You could lay out the movies, without the box, and he could name the movie just because of the font. I never even noticed that each movie had a different font. They took all of this information and started reading. They found that he exhibited many language, behavior, and socialization characteristics that may indicate a pervasive developmental disorder. They included: late talking, limited variety of responses, non-use of greetings, lack of conversation, lack of playing with others, limited eye contact, perseverative language, echolalic language, arm flapping, strange attachment to objects, and an ability to repeat video scripts verbatim.

When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.

After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP. Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.

Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have. I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.

I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are now. On his IEP the district has decided that his transition program would be to live semi-independently.

WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language deficit.

I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was stolen and I stood back and let it happen.

I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child. My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's future. He could have been an independent taxpaying citizen. Now he will be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group homes here, so he won't burden your city.

Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you never have to go to bed at night and think about that.

Class Struggle - Mr. Obama: Kill NCLB

Class Struggle- Mr. Obama: Kill NCLB:

"The anniversary of the signing of the No Child Left Behind last Friday reminded me that my long support for that landmark bipartisan law needs revision. The law has served its purpose. Instead of amending it, as the Obama administration and the Congress seem likely to do, let's dump it and try something different.

I wouldn't make such a radical suggestion if I didn't think the law's main elements would survive without it. All the states have been forced to establish annual testing that identifies which schools are not serving their students, particularly those with family and personal disadvantages. Any politician who tries to junk those tests is going to lose the next election to an opponent who asks the simple question: 'Don't you think our schools should be accountable?'"

The Story of My Son's Education

I was talking to a friend today and some things came to mind. Many people want to know why I fight with the school district and the State. I have earned quite a reputation as a crazy mom. There are many people that are happy with the education that their children are getting and wonder why I am not. Well, let me explain it to you.

I have known that my son has autism since he was three years old. I lived in a very small town in Illinois with the population of 1,200. I had twin daughters that were 5 years old and were in all day kindergarten. The town was having testing for children 3-5 years of age. I thought it was to see where they were academically and what they needed to work on prior to starting kindergarten. My son was three years old and the only child that I had home during the day. I signed him up for the testing and took him up to the school. I wasn’t sure if he would go through it because he was a screamer. I don’t mean that he screamed every once in awhile. I mean that he screamed 24/7. For the first two and a half years of his life he would sleep for 30 minutes and scream for the next two hours. This went on all of the time. He didn’t speak or even make noises. He never said MaMa or DaDa. He just screamed. When you tried to hold him he would arch his back. He never reached for me and even really acknowledged me. He just screamed. I had asked the pediatrician and he said boys don’t talk as early as girls and some babies cry more than others. So, they took him into another room for awhile and when they brought him back they said that if they felt that he needed to start Early Childhood they would call me within a week. Within three days I received a phone call. They weren’t sure what his issues were, but the district felt that he "wasn't right" and put him into school. They didn't know what the problem was, but they were determined to find out and give the best that they had.

This was a town of 1,200 people. Their resources were very limited. I didn't even know that my child had an issue. I was blind. Something that would affect my judgment for the next ten years.

These wonderful people put my son into a classroom of six students and two teachers. They gave him OT and ST. They worked on his social skills. They worked on any issue that came up. Not because they had to. He didn't even have an IEP yet. They did it because they saw a child that needed help to be successful in life. They treated him like a human being that needed guidance and support. He was not another drain on their budget. They had practically no budget. It didn't matter. HE mattered.

When he was four they did some educational evaluations. This was before the internet. This was before anyone knew anything about autism. They said that his tests came back with some very odd results. They said that he was way at one end of the curve on some things and at the other end of the curve on other things. There was nothing in the middle. They said that he didn’t make eye contact. I had never noticed this. They said that he didn’t play with other children. That he would only parallel play. They said that he used dramatic and constructive play, but not interactive play. He could name colors, count up to 12, and recognized numbers. He could sequence objects by size and understood concept of big. He needed a routine and things had to always be the same and if it was not it would throw him off. He would flap his arms and rock when he became excited. He couldn’t follow simple instructions. He displayed a short attention span. He was very interested in Thomas the Tank Engine and could name every engine, their color, and their number. He could tell the name of a Disney VHS tape just by the font. You could lay out the movies, without the box, and he could name the movie just because of the font. I never even noticed that each movie had a different font. They took all of this information and started reading. They found that he exhibited many language, behavior, and socialization characteristics that may indicate a pervasive developmental disorder. They included: late talking, limited variety of responses, non-use of greetings, lack of conversation, lack of playing with others, limited eye contact, perseverative language, echolalic language, arm flapping, strange attachment to objects, and an ability to repeat video scripts verbatim.

When my son was five we moved back to Kansas City. This is where my husband and I were raised. We carefully called and interviewed every school district on both sides of the state line. We wanted to make sure that Jake would get the best that Kansas City had to offer.

After several phone calls and interviews we chose Lee's Summit. I went and told the personnel here that the district in Illinois felt that Jake wasn't ready for regular kindergarten. They felt that he needed 1 on 1 or small group instruction for at least one more year. It stated it in his IEP. Lee's Summit assured me that they were a big district that could handle all of his needs and issues and that the best thing for Jake was going to kindergarten. Once again, I was blind.

Jake went to Prairie View from kindergarten through sixth grade. He had some amazing teachers there. They were kind, supportive, and made accommodations that his IEP didn't call for. We had no issues there. I truly felt that we had picked the best school district that we could have. I volunteered in his classroom every week for at least 2-3 hours. I helped with the school carnival. I helped with health fair. I wrote to the Kansas City Star and told them what an amazing job they were doing with my son.

I didn't know much about autism and I felt like the district was doing all that Jake needed. Little did I know that when he got into high school my only hope for him would be living in a group home. That is where we are now. On his IEP the district has decided that his transition program would be to live semi-independently.
WHY? Because the district never addressed his autism. They didn't address his dysgraphia. They didn't address his social issues. They didn't address his written language issues. Why didn't they? I didn't demand it. In seventh grade the only goal he had on his IEP was to be able to write a paragraph. This is a child with autism, dysgraphia, and a written language deficit.

I thought that you had to believe in the experts and trust them. That blindness has caused the loss of my son's independence. If I had educated myself and fought for him, he would have a different future. His future was stolen and I stood back and let it happen.

I gave the school district a five year old with potential. They have given back a child that will never leave home. I let them do this to my child. My silence and acceptance granted them permission to destroy my son's future. He could have been an independent taxpaying citizen. Now he will be a burden on tax payers. Not to worry, Lee's Summit. You have no group homes here, so he won't burden your city.

Your children still have a chance. Your children still have a future. I pray that none of you ever have to read the following and have it apply to your child. But, if you continue to sit back and do nothing, you will face the same situation that I face today. I let the State of Missouri and the Lee's Summit School District steal my son's future. I will live with that until the day that I die because Jake will be living with me until the day I die. What will happen to him after that, only God knows. I pray that you never have to go to bed at night and think about that.

Controversial sweetener removed from SFUSD chocolate milk

Controversial sweetener removed from SFUSD chocolate milk




The controversial sweetener high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) will be removed from the chocolate milk provided in San Francisco Unified School District cafeterias as of the first week in February. Berkeley Farms, the dairy that supplies milk to SFUSD, agreed to reformulate the chocolate milk in response to repeated requests from SFUSD Student Nutrition Director Ed Wilkins.
There's lots of controversy about offering chocolate milk in cafeterias to begin with, but the use of HFCS inflamed the debate still more. It's widely believed that HFCS is more harmful than other sweeteners and that its effects on the body may be to blame for the obesity crisis, though the science doesn't unambiguously back that up.
"While we continue to have concerns about the milk having too much added sweetener in general, at least the concerns related specifically to HFCS have been eliminated," says

CPS' Project Protection: Hire citizen safety patrols :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education

CPS' Project Protection: Hire citizen safety patrols :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education:



"The most dangerous stretches of streets around 12 Chicago public schools will be protected by the 'eyes and ears' of paid citizen safety patrols under one phase of a $60 million anti-violence campaign unveiled Tuesday.


Such groups also will be called upon to function as paid, pseudo 'truancy officers,' visiting the homes of truant kids at 38 of the system's most violent schools to find out why students are cutting school."



Chicago Schools CEO Ron Huberman made clear Tuesday he is reaching out to the community for help -- and offering jobs amid a dour economy in return -- as he filled in some details of an anti-violence plan sketched out in September.


A centerpiece is a "probability model" that identified 1,200 students as being at high risk of being shot, and pinpointed 200 of them as being at "ultra high risk."


Less than halfway into the school year, Huberman said, 50 percent of the ultra-high risk kids have stopped coming to school. And, he said, of the 102 CPS students shot this school year, 40 percent were among those at high risk or more of such a fate.


Under the plan -- bankrolled with two consecutive years of $30 million in federal stimulus dollars -- this school year $18 million will be focused on the 38 high schools with the biggest violence problems and plans their administrators and other have written to create a "culture of calm" on their campuses, Huberman said.

Phila. teachers union boosts Pa. chances for grant | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/13/2010


Phila. teachers union boosts Pa. chances for grant | Philadelphia Inquirer | 01/13/2010:

"Pennsylvania's bid to get up to $400 million in federal stimulus money to boost public education has been significantly improved with a pledge by Philadelphia's teachers union to help implement the comprehensive reform plan and with its endorsement by the state's largest teachers union.

The $4 billion federal Race to the Top program, which Pennsylvania wants a piece of, was part of the economic stimulus act passed last year. States seeking a share of first-round awards must apply by Tuesday; initial grants will be announced in April, with another round later this year. New Jersey is also applying."

Texas braces for fight over social studies lessons - Yahoo! News


Texas braces for fight over social studies lessons - Yahoo! News:

"AUSTIN, Texas – Parents, teachers and activists will sound off Wednesday on how history — topics from the fall of the Roman Empire to Texas cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash — will be taught to millions of Texas children for the next decade.

The State Board of Education begins hearing testimony, before a tentative vote this week on new social studies curriculum standards that will serve as the framework in Texas classrooms. But, as usual in votes before the conservative-led board, the wide-reaching guidelines are full of potential ideological flashpoints.

Early quibbles over how much prominence to give civil rights leaders such as Cesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall, and the inclusion of Christmas seem to have been smoothed over in the draft now being considered. But board members are crafting dozens of amendments to be raised for consideration before the tentative vote, expected Thursday. The 15-member board won't adopt final standards until March."

With stimulus funds gone, Mass. schools brace for deep cuts - The Boston Globe


With stimulus funds gone, Mass. schools brace for deep cuts - The Boston Globe:

"School administrators across the state are crafting bleak budgets for the next school year and warning of steep cutbacks, including teacher layoffs, to cope with a probable sharp drop in funding from Beacon Hill and dwindling federal stimulus money.

Though schools grappled with thinned-down budgets last year, they got relief from a massive infusion of federal education dollars that is now all but spent, and officials are bracing for cuts that go deep into the classroom."

‘Baby Einstein’ Co-Founder Goes to Court Over TV Studies - NYTimes.com

‘Baby Einstein’ Co-Founder Goes to Court Over TV Studies - NYTimes.com:



"A co-founder of the company that created the “Baby Einstein” videos has asked a judge to order the University of Washington to release records relating to two studies that linked television viewing by young children to attention problems and delayed language development."



“All we’re asking for is the basis for what the university has represented to be groundbreaking research,” the co-founder, William Clark, said in a statementMonday. “Given that other research studies have not shown the same outcomes, we would like the raw data and analytical methods from the Washington studies so we can audit their methodology, and perhaps duplicate the studies, to see if the outcomes are the same."
Mr. Clark said that he had been seeking the information for years, but that the university had either denied his requests or failed to be fully responsive.
A spokesman for the university said its lawyers had not yet read the complaint and could not comment on the complaint.

Poison school pills - NYPOST.com


Poison school pills - NYPOST.com



Will the Legislature do what's needed to qualify New York for some of the $4 billion in Race for the Top funds?
After months of wrangling, Albany will decide sometime in a 90-minute window on Tuesday, between 3 p.m., when the state Senate reconvenes, and 4:30 p.m., when the state's application is due in Washington, DC.
The federal competition will likely be won only by states that have adopted several education reforms that teachers unions hate, including good charter-school laws and the use of student-achievement data in evaluating teacher performance.

Amid the last-minute brinkmanship in Albany, the New York State United Teachers and its allies, including the so-called Alliance for Quality Education, are trying to insert poison pills into the deal.
Even in Albany, where few things truly shock anymore, NYSUT's brazen cynicism is raising eyebrows:
* NYSUT is trying to reopen the mayoral-control debate, settled last year after tortuous negotiations, by pushing to remove Mayor Bloomberg's authority to locate charter schools in Department of Education facilities.
As the union knows full well, ending co-locations would leave Bloomberg unable to fulfill his pledge to create 100 charter schools in New York City over the next four years.
The Legislature should simply declare the topic of co-location settled and move on.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/poison_school_pills_1tkJz4GW6bfVe5GseFGy5N#ixzz0cVZaYwrE

New York City charter schools need to focus on the neediest

New York City charter schools need to focus on the neediest



Most of New York City's 99 charter schools, which enroll 30,000 students, have gotten superior results on state tests. It is important to understand why many of them perform so well, since Mayor Bloomberghas promised to double the number of charters over the next four years.

Last fall, a report by economist Caroline Hoxby of Stanford University hailed the city's charter schools and suggested that any student who attended a charter school for nine years would be almost as well educated as a student in well-heeled Scarsdale. A new study by economistMargaret Raymond of Stanford has confirmed that many of the city's charter schools get higher test scores. Raymond found that 51% of New York City charters produced significant gains in math, but only 29% did so in reading.

Union president makes new proposals for teacher evaluations, discipline - washingtonpost.com

Union president makes new proposals for teacher evaluations, discipline - washingtonpost.com:


"The president of the nation's second-largest teachers union on Tuesday proposed a new way to incorporate student test scores into teacher evaluations and said she has asked a well-known mediator to develop methods of expediting disciplinary cases against teachers.

Randi Weingarten of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers gave a speech in downtown Washington that union officials described as a major effort to address flash points in labor-management relations."

Haiti

This morning, as I watched the news, I prayed for the people of Haiti, knowing that there are many orphanages in the country. After reading several family's blogs this morning, the reality has hit home. Many parents are waiting to hear word of their children in Haiti. I know at least one orphanage that is in the center of the worst hit area. Please pray for the children, please pray for their families who are waiting to bring them home.

My heart is heavy.

Sacramento Press / A New Twist on No Child Left Behind


Sacramento Press / A New Twist on No Child Left Behind




While debate continues on the pro’s and con’s of the well publicized “No child left behind Act”, a small, privately funded Center for Children has maintained a quiet, unwritten policy that no child will ever be left behind or turned away because of a family’s inability to afford tuition.
For the past five years the Neuro-Linguistic Learning Center in El Dorado Hills has been helping children, teens and adults overcome the effects of ADHD, Autism and other learning disabilities. While the profound successes of their students have been well documented, their quiet policy of never turning a child away solely for financial reasons has remained an important part of their commitment to the Sacramento Community and to the children and families they serve.
“Says Gerald Hughes, Director of the NLC, “As the parent of several children who previously struggled with learning challenges, I feel I have a profound appreciation for the importance of the work we do. If a family is committed to getting help or their child, we will do everything we can to assist them--regardless of their financial situation.”
Gerald takes emphatic exception to the word, ‘disability’ and he refers to his clients as ‘our children’. Some of the challenges the children who come to the NLC include reading, writing, spelling, math, focus and attention, memorization, test-preparation, anxiety, lack of motivation, and even low self-esteem. Their diagnoses may include Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), Autism, Sensory Integration Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder, Non-Verbal Learning Disorder, compulsive behaviors, and oppositional defiance.

Feinberg to Help Teachers Union Speed Due Process (Update1) - BusinessWeek


Feinberg to Help Teachers Union Speed Due Process (Update1) - BusinessWeek:

"Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The American Federation of Teachers hired Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration’s special master on executive compensation, to develop a faster process for dealing with teachers accused of misconduct as part of a series of proposals to improve public education.

The teachers’ union, the second biggest in the U.S. after the National Education Association, needs a “fresh approach” to speed the “glacial process” of these cases, AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a speech today in Washington."

What's Fueling the Redirection of Special Education Funds | NewAmerica.net


What's Fueling the Redirection of Special Education Funds | NewAmerica.net:

"Last week, the Wall Street Journal published an article highlighting the large number of school districts that will opt to take advantage of an Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provision that allows them to reduce state and local special education spending when their federal funding under the law has increased from the year before. This provision is particularly relevant in 2010 because supplemental IDEA funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has dramatically increased the funding each district will receive. The article, unfortunately, does not fully discuss why so many districts are suddenly able to utilize this provision. It turns out that many states, in an attempt to make more districts eligible for the funding reduction provision, loosened the requirements districts must meet to qualify."

Elk Grove Citizen : Archives > News > EGUSD considers new federal stimulus program, with caution


Elk Grove Citizen : Archives > News > EGUSD considers new federal stimulus program, with caution:

"Trustees, superintendent raise questions about process

By Cameron Macdonald - Citizen News Editor

The federal government is offering $4.3 billion to public schools across the country, if their states and school districts can meet a series of reform guidelines.�

Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD) trustees expressed interest in this one-time funding, but raised many questions and concerns about the federal Race to the Top program’s application process at their Jan. 5 meeting.

“It has a lofty, catchy title and its goals are desirable,” Trustee Priscilla Cox said. “But the details are very problematic.”�

The school board approved the district staff’s action to submit a memoriam of understanding to begin the application process, but with the guarantee their district can back away from the program if it does not look beneficial.�"

School at Former Ambassador Hotel Site Named after Robert F. Kennedy - LAist

School at Former Ambassador Hotel Site Named after Robert F. Kennedy - LAist



The group of schools on the site of famous Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 will be named in his honor, the LAUSD Board of Education decided today. The move had been in the works for a long time and was voted upon unanimously.
"The Ambassador Hotel was once the center of Los Angeles style," LAist explained in a historical profile of the hotel. "It was an ode to art deco. In its prime, it housed the fabulous Cocoanut Grove, one of the hippest restaurants in the city... Since its closing in 1989, the Ambassador Hotel has lived the mysterious half-life of a movie set to which so many grand buildings in Southern California are reduced."
In the 80s, Donald Trump envisioned the world's tallest building for the site, but he faced the school district and its own a vision, which is now the pedantically named (well, not formerly named) Central Los Angeles Learning Center #1. Once the district beat out Trump, they battled preservationists who wanted the hotel building to be preserved. The costs were too high, so the district constructed faux-version of the hotel as the campus at the cost of $400 million, making it the most expensive K-12 education complex.

The American Spectator : Arne Duncan City Limits


The American Spectator : Arne Duncan City Limits:

"As U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan is garnering much praise for rallying states to increase the number of charter schools and overhaul how teachers are trained and paid. But a string of stories about Chicago Public Schools, where Duncan served as its chief executive, are reminders that no one, not even Duncan, is a miracle worker when it comes to overhauling America's traditional public school districts.

On Sunday, Duncan's successor, Ron Huberman, drew criticism after the Chicago Tribune reported that he drove not one, but two cars -- including a hybrid version of Chevrolet's Malibu sedan -- leased on his behalf by the district for $1,800 a month. That news, along with the fact that the district leased a fleet of vehicles for its senior staff and other civil servants at an annual cost of $800,000, didn't sit too well with either the district's teachers or parents, who were already annoyed with Huberman over a new round of proposed school closings."

Text Of NJ Gov. Jon Corzine's State Of The State - cbs3.com

Text Of NJ Gov. Jon Corzine's State Of The State - cbs3.com:


"(AP) Remarks, as prepared, delivered Tuesday by Gov. Jon Corzine during his State of the State address:

Happy New Year to you all and a warm welcome to the members of the 214th legislature.

Let me especially welcome the new legislative leadership team.

Senate President Sweeney and Speaker Oliver."

Parents Choice Of Schools, Teachers & Principals - myMotherLode.com


Parents Choice Of Schools, Teachers & Principals - myMotherLode.com: "Governor Schwarzenegger was Tuesday's KVML 'Newsmaker of the Day'. Here are his words:

'Hello, this is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report.

The first week of January is always the busiest time of the year for a governor.

And we started this week with some very good news for education.

The California legislature passed major education-reform bills and let me tell you, many people thought that could never happen.

But we know too many children have been trapped in low-performing schools.
The exit doors may as well have been chained.

Now, parents have the right to free their children from underperforming schools without a principal's permission.

That means parents can send their children to a new school or even a new district. That is a great freedom."

Local News | Legislature weighs giving up control over university tuition hikes | Seattle Times Newspaper


Local News | Legislature weighs giving up control over university tuition hikes | Seattle Times Newspaper:

"A proposal to allow the state's public universities to raise tuition without the Legislature's approval is gaining momentum in Olympia.

The University of Washington and Washington State University, in particular, long have wanted to set their undergraduate tuition rates but have been rebuffed by lawmakers who've wanted to retain that power and keep the cost of college in check.

However, the $2.6 billion state budget shortfall — on the heels of last year's big cuts to higher education — has prompted lawmakers to look again at the idea as a way to let the universities raise more money"

01.11.2010 - Researcher's study sheds new light on math ability, gender equity


01.11.2010 - Researcher's study sheds new light on math ability, gender equity:

"BERKELEY — Marcia Linn, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of education known for exploring the teaching and learning of science and their connection to gender, is offering proof once again that girls' math abilities are just as good as boys'.

Marcia Linn, professor of education
But Linn and her fellow researchers note in their global study, reported in the latest issue of American Psychological Association's Psychological Bulletin, that while there are only small differences, on average, between girls' and boys' math abilities, the gaps vary widely from country to country. For girls to perform as well as boys on math tests, the researchers found that they need equal access to education, encouragement to do well in math and female role models in math-oriented careers.

The study was funded by the National Science Foundation. It looked at results released in 2003 of two key math tests — one focusing on basic math knowledge and the other on students' ability to use math skills in the real world — that were administered to nearly half a million boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 16 in 69 countries. The tests were the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and the Programme for International Student Assessment."

California Munis: No Need to Panic - WSJ.com


California Munis: No Need to Panic - WSJ.com:

"It now costs more to insure Californian municipal debt against default than it does bonds issued by the government of Kazakhstan. The central Asian country satirized in 'Borat.'

That is neither a joke, nor hyperbole. Californian munis cost 2.6% of face value per year to insure, reports CMA DataVision in London, which tracks bond insurance data. Kazakh bonds: Just 1.8%. It is 'now less expensive to insure Kazakh debt than that of Greece, California and various other entities,' confirms CMA spokesman Simon Mott. (Crisis-stricken Greece, incidentally, costs about the same as California).

Borat, one. The Terminator, zero."

Education, other leaders call for state budget reform� Ventura County Star

Education, other leaders call for state budget reform� Ventura County Star:


"Pummeled by the state budget crisis and saying change is needed, local government and school officials listened to two plans for reforming California’s legislative and budget system at a forum this week.

“It has become no secret that our legislative process needs review and reformation, as evidenced by California’s recent budget struggles and with the political gridlock in Sacramento,” said John Walker, a Ventura Unified School District trustee who sits on the board of directors for the California School Boards Association.

“For some time, there has been keen interest in addressing our legislative and budgeting process. New directions are needed to get our state moving again,” he said."

State tries to attract math and science teachers | Politics | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California


State tries to attract math and science teachers | Politics | PE.com | Southern California News | News for Inland Southern California:

"SACRAMENTO - Some would-be teachers will have a new and potentially faster way to receive credentials under this month's state legislation meant to improve California's chances of getting federal school-improvement money.

Inland Assemblyman Brian Nestande said the change should help ease the state's shortage of math, science and vocational instructors by attracting mid-career people who want to teach but are unwilling to spend months in a traditional credentialing program.

It's for someone who says, 'I don't need to spend a year of my life getting a credential when I probably know the issue better than anyone in the room teaching me,' said Nestande, R-Palm Desert, who is vice chairman of the Assembly Education Committee. 'Let's try something different and try to get those people into the classroom.'"

Measures 66 and 67: considering the educational losses | The Stump - OregonLive.com


Measures 66 and 67: considering the educational losses | The Stump - OregonLive.com:

"Economists understand that taxes have consequences. But the effect of Measures 66 and 67 on most businesses and individuals in Oregon will be minimal, and the state will remain one of the lowest business tax states in the country.

How low? According to the conservative Tax Foundation, even with the new taxes, Oregon will rank 14th in lowest tax states. Thus Oregon businesses are neither excessively burdened by taxes, nor likely to find greener pastures elsewhere. The effect of the new taxes on employment is therefore likely to be very small, and may be more than offset in the short run by jobs preserved in social services, public safety and education."

Saturday, January 9, 2010

SO FUN!!





As I've written before, Layne and Gavin are best friends. They spend almost every minute of the day together and laugh, laugh, laugh together. It is pure joy, just listening to them!

Gavin told me he could carry Layne, just like they would carry little siblings in Benchi. I honestly didn't believe him, but the truth is in the pictures. He is one smart, strong boy. He squats down, Layne climbs on, he stands up and away they go. I've just had to give them warnings on not bashing her head into anything!!

They both went to AWANA at the church, last Sunday, for the first time and LOVED IT!! They've been memorizing Scripture and listening to the stories all week.

We received our sponsor child through Children's Hopechest today. We are excited to help provide him with food (everyday), education and love. Hopefully, when we venture back to Addis, we'll be able to meet him and let him know that we pray for him regularly, BY NAME. He is definitely not forgotten.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Great quote

I've been trying hard to minimize our outgoing expenses and have been really interested in books by Mary Ostyn, a mother, both through biology and adoption, of 10 kids. She has great money saving tips for shopping, cooking, etc. I hope to implement some strategies this week to help us save more (WHY? for anything orphan related...the millions of orphans in the world are heavy on my heart)

In one of her books, she quotes Mother Theresa, so I'll also use the quote here:

"How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers."

If you're on Facebook, go to the We Have Room fanpage and listen to the song on the left side...then, as my friend, Jason Egly wrote: "Tell me how many kids you're going to adopt!!!"

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Information Gap Activities - Working in Groups Or Pairs During Cooperative Learning Lessons

Information notch activities are those in which students exchange aggregation in order to complete a required warning plan activity.

Most aggregation notch activities are done in pairs, with apiece student having a conception of the information. They are especially effective when used as knowledge activities during the pre-reading conception of a datum lesson, but they crapper also be practical to datum comprehension and math activities as well.

For example, this strategy crapper be used to teach new knowledge from a lawmaking students haven't yet read. Student A would have the knowledge text written on strips of essay and student B would have the definitions of those words. Working together, they pair text and definitions to wager new vocabulary.

Vocabulary Activities

Information notch activities much as the warning beneath function as knowledge lessons after students have already encountered the knowledge in the text.

Teacher and/or collection prepare 2 lists of about 20 items. List A contains people and animals. List B contains objects. The aim is to combine digit text from List A with digit from List B. Example: What crapper a/an A do with a/an B? Why does a/an A need a/an B? Students create a itemize of combinations.

Or, Student A has pictures of newly introduced text and student B has the matching words. When matched correctly, they create an engrossing shape.

Math Activities

The aforementioned principles of aggregation notch activities crapper also be practical to Math lesson. Student A measures triangles of various sizes while student B measures circles of various sizes. Together, they answer questions that colligate to the relation between them.

Reading Comprehension Activities

An aggregation notch state crapper also be used as a important datum task when students need to share aggregation they feature from an assigned passage. An especially effective aggregation notch state is A saw datum which is a type of state that is done usually in groups. In a saw reading, the pedagogue crapper ingest scholarly texts or texts from the students' coursebook.

In the tralatitious method of saw reading, the pedagogue divides a book into sections and assigns apiece group a section to read. Each group is responsible for understanding its part. Then new groups are formed with digit member from apiece previous team. The new groups now have digit representative from apiece section and apiece crapper share what s/he understood from his or her conception of text. Students then crapper either write a unofficial of the book or answer questions about the entire text.

How An Information Gap Activity Should Be Structured

Consider also the mass important issues in your warning plans:

* Purpose: What is the purpose of the activity? For example, is the purpose to introduce, reinforce, ingest or bridge the notch between letters and their same sounds? Or, is the purpose to reinforce text and their meanings?

* Organization: Who is in control - the collection or the teacher? Once you amend the necessary room direction skills, you crapper effectively compel aggregation notch activities.

* Length of Lesson: The surroundings of instance must be considered. How long module this state take?

* Ability level: Consider the knowledge of the class, homogeneous or heterogeneous groupings, and adaptations much as a backup plan when students can't do the state as planned.

* Materials and procedures: What is needed for the lesson? How module the pedagogue present aggregation notch activities.

* Who? The level of the students including the knowledge and grade.

* What? What is the context for your aggregation notch activity?

* How? Through which new points module the important skills be introduced? Example: Will students need to feature a lawmaking containing the new text before matching text and their same definitions in pair work?

Possible Problems Using An Activity on an Information Gap

What if your warning didn't go as planned? A potentially substantially planned aggregation notch warning crapper backfire due to neglect of digit of the important planning issues (see above).

Classroom direction is typically the think why aggregation notch activities do not go as planned. It is worthwhile to invest instance therefore, in the principles of room direction before implementing any aggregation notch activity.

Information notch activities are user-friendly for the pedagogue to recycle previously taught information. Some module verify more instance to implement, but it is an investment substantially worth the effort.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dorit_Sasson

Monday, January 4, 2010

Wappened and Wabout

Gavin has learned English SUPER fast, he is even reading beginning reading books. I think that is just incredible. He is getting more and more animated at the dinner table, too, telling us stories and asking us a million questions. The other day, we were at the table from 6 to 8 and it was great!!

I just have to share, though, two words that make us smile, Wappened and Wabout. If Gavin gets super excited and wants to understand something better, he yells, "Wappened?" (What happened?) You can probably guess that Wabout is him asking, "What about?" We call this Gavin speak. He'll say Wappened or Wabout and then, say, "OH! WHAT Happened?"