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November 20, 2009: IDEA director John Rogers quoted in New America Media in a story about class-size increases

  • 11-20-2009
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For African-American Students, Class Size Matters

by Gail Berkley

As school districts across the state struggle to meet the challenges of providing a quality education with fewer resources during the economic downturn, state subsidized small class sizes--with 20 students to 1 teacher in grades K-3--are in jeopardy.

According to a survey of the state’s 30 largest school districts released this week “many schools are pushing class sizes to 24 in some or all of the early grades.” Some classes were increasing to as many as 30 students, the survey conducted by California Watch, a nonprofit journalism organization in Berkeley, found.

The increases in the 20-1 ratio in K-3 classes do not bode well for African-American students.

Recent studies have found that small classes in kindergarten through third grade can have a lasting impact on the educational achievement of African-American students. A study completed in 2001 by Princeton University economics professors Alan Krueger and Diane Whitmore found smaller class size can significantly improve the academic performance of African-American students. The study also found that smaller classes in the early years have lasting benefits for students. The study found a decrease in high school drop out rates overall and increased college entrance exam-taking rates for those who were in small classes in K-3.

To read full article, please visit:
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=56ed418d8b2f92befa9edac862fee28f

IDEA Holds Educational Opportunity Report Trainings for Parents and Grassroots Organizations

  • 07-30-2009
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February 24, 2009

The most recent UCLA IDEA Educational Opportunity Report is helping communities stay informed about their schools. The report – which documents 1) the sub par schooling conditions in California as compared to other states and 2) the racially unequal distribution of resources within the state – is being distributed widely to parents and grassroots organizations.

 

IDEA researcher Julie Flapan said, “By bringing the report to different groups, we help them build the capacity to use the research in more powerful ways.”

 

On the release date of the report, February 24, IDEA shared the findings with its partner organizations, a coalition of community groups called the Educational Justice Collaborative. In a workshop in Sacramento, IDEA director John Rogers and others discussed the multiple parts of the report, all of which are available on-line, at www.EdOpp.org. Website visitors will find a database with information on individual schools across the state and PDFs of reports for individual legislative districts and the state as a whole. 

 

Another way IDEA shares the findings of the report is through workshops for parents. In these workshops, IDEA communications specialist Claudia Vizcarra demonstrates to parents how to use the on-line database to stay informed about the quality of their children’s schools.

 

Vizcarra said, “The information in the report is really eye-opening and we want to put it in the hands of parents so they can use it to help improve the conditions in their schools.” 

 

IDEA also provides specific analyses of the Educational Opportunity Report data for various organizations. Since the report was first published several years ago, various organizations have often contacted IDEA requesting information on specific topics, such as dropouts, access to college prep courses, and overcrowding. For this year’s report, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) requested individual reports regarding its seven sub-districts.

 

New IDEA Research Brief: Sharing the Burden? The Impact of Proposed Teacher Layoffs across LAUSD

  • 07-30-2009
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April 13, 2009

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has issued more than 8,500 “pink slips” informing employees that their contracts may not be renewed at the end of the current school year. If past practice holds, and in accordance with rules set up in the California Education Code and the district’s collective bargaining agreement, the district will use teacher seniority as the primary criteria for determining which teachers are dismissed. That is, the first teachers dismissed will be those with one or two years of experience.

 

To see complete brief, please visit:

http://idea.gseis.ucla.edu/publications/layoffs-lausd/index.html

DEA Director John Rogers Quoted in Wall Street Journal Story About Parcel Taxes

  • 07-30-2009
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June 17, 2009

California Schools' Tough Choices

Wealthy Communities Add Taxes to Make Up for Funding Cuts in Ailing State

 

By Stu Woo

 

HAYWARD, Calif. -- Residents of some affluent cities in this broke state are banding together to make up for cuts in public education, opening rifts between rich and poor school districts.

 

Key to the debate are parcel taxes, flat fees on property that are used by some cities to help fund public schools.

 

A handful of communities, such as the tony Bay Area enclave of Piedmont, Calif., have passed new parcel taxes to compensate for proposed state cutbacks, and others are considering them. Piedmont said the emergency measures would enable it to lay off only five of its 200 teachers, rather than nine.

 

"We're very, very fortunate that our community is supportive of our schools," said Ray Gadbois, vice president of Piedmont's school board.

 

In less-affluent communities where voters are loath to approve parcel taxes, the state's funding cuts are expected to hit harder.

 

To see full article, please visit:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124519998766721439.html

IDEA Research Brief Cited in USA Today Story About Teacher Layoffs in Los Angeles

  • 07-30-2009
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June 17, 2009

Los Angeles loses new breed of teachers in layoffs

 

By Christina Hoag

 

LOS ANGELES — Sean Leys sat huddled and still in a tent on a sidewalk outside of a Los Angeles middle school, fatigued by an ongoing hunger strike but resolved to protest looming teacher layoffs.

 

The longtime English teacher, holding a biography of labor-rights leader Cesar Chavez in his lap, was camped outside John H. Liechty Middle School with about 20 colleagues, an occasional motorist honking a horn in support of their cause.

 

To see full article, please visit:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-06-17-LA-teachers_N.htm

December 15, 2009: IDEA Researchers Speak About ‘Multiple Pathways’ at San Diego Conference

  • 12-15-2009
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December 4, 2009: IDEA’s research director Sophie Fanelli and senior researcher Marisa Saunders recently spoke at a conference about the Multiple Pathways approach to high school reform, saying it holds great promise for California students. Multiple Pathways schools provide career-based studies along with a college preparatory academic core, and aim to change patterns of racial stratification that result from tracking. Fanelli and Saunders presented IDEA’s research on Multiple Pathways at the California School Boards Association Annual Education Conference in San Diego on Dec. 4. Joined by principal Cheryl Hibbeln of San Diego’s School of Digital Media & Design, a Multiple Pathways high school, the presenters discussed data collected from 10 case study schools and programs. They reported that Multiple Pathways schools face some organizational challenges, but have far fewer drop-outs and more graduates prepared for college than the average California high school.