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Commission: Community colleges should take over adult schools run by school districts
Community colleges should take over all adult school programs from cash-strapped school districts, the Little Hoover Commission, the state watchdog agency, recommended yesterday. … Read entire article »
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After pushing homeschooling, Santorum takes on higher education
Former Sen. Rick Santorum may no longer be the frontrunner in the GOP presidential contest, but he is still the only one to have made education a major issue in his campaign. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Non-subscriber Posts
Steinberg introduces new proposal for reforming school rating system
After his last legislative effort on the subject was brusquely rejected by Governor Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, is making another effort to reform California’s dozen-year-old method of ranking its public schools. … Read entire article »
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Despite perilous finances, state laws help schools avert insolvency
Despite having to endure the worst economic crisis in almost a century, only a small number of school districts in California are officially designated as financially troubled. In a report issued by the California Department of Education, seven districts — including Inglewood Unified near Los Angeles, Paso Robles Joint Unified in San Luis Obispo County, and Vallejo City Unified north of San Francisco — have received a “negative certfication,” meaning that “based on current projections” a school district … Read entire article »
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GOP frontrunner takes on public education
The first major discussion of education in the 2012 presidential campaign has centered not on reforms like teacher tenure or what should replace the No Child Left Behind law but on the merits of public education itself. … Read entire article »
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State senate considers Brown’s plan for new school funding formulas
At what may turn out to be a landmark hearing in Sacramento today, state senators will review a sweeping proposal by Gov. Jerry Brown to reform California’s notoriously complex school finance system that distributes funds based more on decades-old formulas than on student needs. … Read entire article »
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Survey: Spending cuts for schools have bottomed out in many states
In a fall survey of 37 states and the District of Columbia, the Center on Education Policy found that states are expecting to invest more funds in schools in 2011–12 than the previous year, though state education agencies are unlikely to see any increases in funding. The center offers anonymity to survey responders, so it is not clear whether California is included among the 37 states. These findings are presented in two reports released this month: After the Stimulus Ends: The Status of State K–12 Education Funding and Reforms and State Education Funding and Staffing in the Education Reform Era. “There is a mixed picture for states. On the one hand, there is a strong feeling that state funding for K–12 education hit bottom last fiscal year and is on the rebound,” said … Read entire article »
Filed under: Quick Hits
Doubling classroom time helps community college students overcome math hurdles
Note: This article was updated on Feb. 13, 2012 to clarify some aspects of the program. If you’re having trouble with math, try spending twice as much time in class learning it. That strategy plus intensive support from tutors and counselors inside and outside class are making a difference for students at De Anza Community College trying to overcome one of the major stumbling blocks to academic success. … Read entire article »
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LAO: Thousands of students will lose aid under Gov. Brown’s budget proposal
The Legislative Analyst’s Office issued a report yesterday indicating that some 26,000 students would lose their financial aid through the CalGrant program if Gov. Brown’s budget proposal to raise the grade point average that students would need to qualify for support gets legislative approval … Read entire article »
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District offers prescription drug program to reduce illness — and absences
In an attempt to reduce school absences due to illness, Alum Rock Union Elementary School District is offering a prescription drug plan that gives price reductions on both brand-name and generic drugs, as reported by the San Jose Mercury News. The goal is to reduce illness — as well as absences — from school. Although aimed at district families, the free plan is open to anyone who wants to participate, even if they are not part of the Alum Rock community. It is thought to be the first district in the state to offer such a plan — and a sign of the growing awareness among educators of the crucial link between health and school achievement. For more on the prescription drug program, check out this announcement from the district. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Quick Hits
