Bright and Early: The Education Newsblitz

In honor of the Oscars, here’s a clip from one of my favorite high school movies — of all the things that Max Fischer does instead of studying. Now for your Monday morning newsblitz:

In case you missed it, we highlighted Point Loma High School teacher Tchaiko Kwayana, who assigns her students to do a project on their family, culture and identity, in our weekend Q&A.
Cuts, cuts everywhere: The Union-Tribune gives the rundown on slashed school budgets in Vista, Oceanside and La Mesa.
The UT editorializes that the pact between teachers and San Diego Unified is foolish because it promises an eventual pay raise. We blog about how and why two school board members are criticizing the plan. And we also had guest blogger and budget guru Phil Stover explain how the district plans to pay for it.
KPBS talks to a college professor who embarked on a 400-mile march to highlight education cuts. Check out his guest blog on Schooled about why he’s marching.
Another guest blogger wrote about why schools don’t just need more money — they need a better funding system.
A former university official who led the charge against affirmative action is questioning whether the agreement between UCSD and its Black Student Union violates the law, City News Service reports.
Going green has helped Los Angeles Unified save money, the Los Angeles Times writes. Energy efficiency is also part of a plan to balance the Sacramento schools’ budget, the Bee reports — but so are teacher layoffs.
Today, California will list its persistently low-performing schools and force them to close or take drastic steps to improve, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The list comes out this morning. Educated Guess explains why it took so long.
The Ventura County Star writes about a California proposal to make it easier to pass school parcel taxes.
Salon.com questions what it calls the “slash-and-burn” model of school reform: firing all the teachers. This is a big part of the Obama Administration approach to fixing schools. The Associated Press reports that in some cases, it has worked.
In the Boston Globe, a Harvard scholar extols “mesofacts” and why your kids should learn them.
And if you’re scared of seeing U.S. kids slip behind China, you might be interested in this New York Times blog about China’s anxieties about finding good jobs for its college graduates.