Look for me on the telly this afternoon talking about schools that use gifted methods for all students. I’m still finding out the details, but I’ll post an update on when you can tune in on Twitter.
Now on to your daily education newsblitz!
We write about a draft report that finds that as San Diego Unified goes into another year of budget cuts, it still suffers from systematic problems that make it difficult to track money. The school district says those problems are being fixed. But another dispute over how the district spent some state money could end up forcing it to find $15 million in a tight budget if a state agency decides that San Diego Unified erred.
- The Union-Tribune reports that teachers unions in Sweetwater and in San Diego Unified have levied legal charges against the school districts over changes in class size. One of the complaints in San Diego, you might remember, was actually about a decrease in the number of students in classrooms.
- Also in the UT: San Diego Unified is infusing classrooms with new, digital whiteboards thanks to money from its construction bond. Educators say it’s a futuristic way to keep kids engaged. But one member of the bond oversight committee questions whether training costs for the technology can be charged to the bond.
- KPBS continues its series on the impact of military life with this segment on “military brats” and how war and frequent moves seem to impact kids.
- Biliteracy programs where kids become fluent in two languages are popular in the Bay Area, the Oakland Tribune reports. San Diego Unified is trying to expand such programs here as well.
- The Wall Street Journal explores how students at online high schools have fended off social isolation — or in some cases, why it drove them to leave online schools. Digital education is now trying to add clubs and dances to keep kids from disappearing.
- The EarlyStories blog on early childhood education asks: What do we mean when we say that kindergarten has gotten more rigorous? What does that actually look like?
- A veteran of the testing industry says there are serious weaknesses with the system. Jay Mathews at the Washington Post lets him guest blog for a day.
- What does it mean if report cards on New York City schools seem to show that every school is above average? Education Week reports that critics worry that the school system is monkeying with test scores and comparing them inaccurately to get the results it wants.
- And a sports journalist is heading back to high school and blogging about it. “It’s amazing how much easier it is to write these when the other option is doing homework,” he blogged.