Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

I’m still looking for Jose Garcia. Do you know him? We’re trying to find as many children as possible with the most common name in San Diego Unified to showcase the many faces and stories within the massive school system. E-mail me if you can help! And now for your daily newsblitz:

Sick of turnover in superintendents, leaders at San Diego Unified say something needs to change in the superintendent search. But what? We report that some want a different, more open search for the next chief, which could lure less traditional candidates — and turn away superintendents from big districts who climb from one school system to the next.

We blog that sitting out on Race to the Top, a competition for more school stimulus money, would likely affect only eight schools in San Diego Unified, according to a school district analysis, because the criteria for getting the money are so strict.

We also explain what the heck priority-based budgeting is and how it will work for schools.

School board member John de Beck derides it as “fantasy-based budgeting” in the San Diego News Network and proposes across-the-board salary cuts instead.

Shelia Jackson tells the Union-Tribune it’s too early to count her out of the race for county supervisor — right after telling us she was out of the race. I’m still waiting to hear from Jackson about what changed.

The Union-Tribune profiles the CalPASS program, which uses data from throughout students’ lives to help teachers tailor lessons for them and make sure they’re ready for the next step.

KPBS follows our story on why San Diego Unified is sitting out on Race to the Top — for now. 10News highlights Lincoln High as a school that could use the funds, though district staff haven’t predicted it would qualify.

Many school districts haven’t signed up for Race to the Top: The Appeal-Democrat in Marysville highlights other school systems that have decided against taking part in the race.

Gov. Schwarzenegger pledged to protect education funding in his State of the State address — including a measure to ensure California always spends more on public universities than prisons, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Spending more money on public universities than on prisons might sound great, the Los Angeles Times writes, but if Schwarzenegger really wants to make that happen, there are a lot of obstacles in the way. The Sacramento Bee analyzes it too.

Those new laws meant to help shore up California’s application for Race to the Top look like a done deal. The Sacramento Bee reports on how they impact parent power to force change at schools.

Nicholas Kristof at The New York Times opines that Costa Rica is happy because it invests in education instead of an army.

A Florida teacher writes about a new phenomenon in her school she dubsFloating. Instead of having a classroom of her own, she is bounced from room to room as other teachers have periods off to help save space.

Inside Higher Ed writes about a push to revamp teacher training to look more like training for doctors or nurses, with in-the-classroom training and partnerships between teachers colleges and school systems.

The Dallas Morning News tells the affecting story of a student who had to decide whether to go to Harvard or stay home and help his family. It’s a compelling read and it touches on key issues for immigrant families, where children sometimes face different demands and responsibilities. (Hat tip to Educated Reporter Linda Perlstein for linking to it.)

— EMILY ALPERT