Nothing takes the sting out of Monday morning like education news! At least, that’s what I always say.
We blog about an idea to reduce class size in San Diego Unified and give you a primer on the schoobrary.
The Union-Tribune writes about the ongoing issue of what foundations can pay for in San Diego Unified, teachers pouring into town for a national teachers union conference and kicking off the week by fixing up a school, and details the financial woes in Vista schools. Examiner.com wants to know why a prized program in Vista doesn’t qualify as a tutor under No Child Left Behind while ineffective programs keep getting approval and federal money.
Zooming out to California news, the Los Angeles Times tells the story of a child given a scholarship for a private school. Sacramento moms have formed an activist group called Burning Moms that is “somewhat edgier than the PTA.” The Mercury News reports on the “here we go again” phenomenon as school districts submit budgets and wait to hear final numbers from the state. And a retired educator opines in the San Francisco Chronicle that scrapping the high school exit exam for savings is not nearly as “shocking” as the budget straits that schools have been put in already — contrast that to this Los Angeles Times editorial.
And in national news, the New York Times reports on a culture clash of what parents expect in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood and how it ties into the ouster of a principal accused of assault. A federal monitor found that some charter schools in Washington, D.C. are discouraging students with disabilities from enrolling, the Post reported. Education Week explains a national survey that gives a mixed picture of how schools are using technology. And the St. Petersburg Times reports that a Florida school district is weighing whether to get rid of zero as a failing grade and just give kids a 40 percent when they don’t turn work in.