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- We blog on what a drop in enrollment could mean when San Diego Unified was expecting its student numbers to go up: A loss in revenue. But whether that drop hits the budget bottom line depends on how conservative the district was when it planned its staffing and state revenue. I’m still finding out more, so check back soon for more information.
- Stricter San Diego Unified policies to keep kids safe and screen school volunteers are causing a backlog that makes people wait nearly a month to volunteer, the Union-Tribune reports. One volunteer says she actually doesn’t mind the wait, even if it’s inconvenient.
- The UT also reports that the furor continues over changes in the San Diego State University admissions policy that will set the same bar for grades and test scores for outsiders and local applicants alike. We blogged on a resolution by the San Diego Unified board to reverse the change for this year.
- KPBS reports that an interstate agreement that smoothes the way for military children who move frequently, sometimes colliding with different graduation requirements, has been signed into law. Check out our article about the problems they faced here.
- Vista Unified is clearing its last hurdle to build a new high school, the North County Times reports.
- Obama’s Secretary of Education praised Schwarzenegger for signing a bill that allows California to evaluate teachers using test scores, which could help the state vie for a second batch of school stimulus dollars, the Los Angeles Times writes. The Sacramento Bee has more details. But Education Week blogs that the Secretary is also cautioning that doesn’t automatically mean that California — or any eligible state — will get the money.
- A San Jose-area school district is considering closing several schools to save money, the San Jose Mercury News writes. Its superintendent tried to close one last year, but the plan was scrapped because of public outcry. Sound familiar?
- The Sacramento Bee reports that a new, long-awaited statewide data system for tracking information on individual students is off to a shaky start. The system was down most of Wednesday.
- Videos and interactive games could help teach preschoolers literacy skills, a new study finds. Education Week breaks down the research, which was partially funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (Now why would they have any interest in this?) But don’t go and plunk your toddler in front of the TV: “It’s not simply turning on a program and letting it go on the screen unattended, but pausing the video and asking questions,” one advocate says.
- Be nice? Nope. The former head of the Education Writers Association opines in the Washington Post that Michelle Rhee, the notoriously tough chancellor of the D.C. schools, has to play hardball to get things done.
- This one is for the wonks: The New America Foundation dissects how federal funding for disadvantaged kids works. They’ve even got a nifty database. I’ll be playing with it to find ideas, but feel free to send me anything interesting you find in the numbers at emily.alpert@voiceofsandiego.org.