History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Youth Voice in School Finance
NEW REPORT: Los Angeles' road to A-G for all
Without Dollars and Sense Powerpoint
Past Educational Opportunity Reports
February 2010
Yee fights cuts to education
- 02-26-2010
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California Chronicle
Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) joined California educators in calling on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Los Angeles) to protect school funding. Yee, who has consistently voted against all budget cuts to education, said Democrats should be as vigilant against cuts to education as Republicans have been against raising taxes. This week, Yee again voted against a potential cut to California schools when he was one of only two Senators to vote "no" on AB 8x 5, which included up to $2.5 billion in deferrals to education. Yee is also insisting that the proposed "gas tax swap" provide a guarantee to Proposition 98 – voter-approved minimum funding for education. (more...)
California education: Tallying cuts and costs
- 02-26-2010
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Blog by Anna Bloom/New York Times
A new round of rallies are planned for next week to protest the budget cuts in higher education and the resulting layoffs, furloughs and fee increases. Here are some numbers — from state and nonprofit sources — that describe education in public schools and colleges. 47 | California’s national rank in spending per pupil, K-12, in 2009. The state average is $7,571 per pupil — $2,400 below the national average. 74 | Number of positions that Superintendent Tony Smith of the Oakland Unified School District proposes to cut from the district’s central services. Among them are 14 from professional/curriculum development; 15 custodians and grounds workers; 21 from business, personnel, data management and school leadership; and 17 from school security. Currently, about 606 employees work in the district’s central services. (more...)
Business principles won't work for school reform, former supporter Ravitch says
- 02-26-2010
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By Nick Anderson/Washington Post
For those who believe that performance pay and charter schools pose a threat to public education and that a cult of testing and accountability has hijacked school reform, an unlikely national spokeswoman has emerged. Diane Ravitch, an education historian, now renounces many of the market-oriented policies she promoted as a former federal education official with close ties to Democrats and Republicans. In large part because of her change of heart, Ravitch's critique of the reform ideas that prevail in government, philanthropies and think tanks is reverberating in the world of education. "In choosing his education agenda, President Obama sided with the economists and the corporate-style reformers," Ravitch writes in her book "The Death and Life of the Great American School System," circulating in advance of its general release Tuesday. (more...)
Duncan questioned on move to cut funding for Teach for America
- 02-26-2010
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By Nick Anderson/Washington Post
Education Secretary Arne Duncan faced unusually sharp questioning from House Democrats Thursday over the Obama administration's proposals to eliminate a grant for the Teach for America program and hold the line on new funding for many other education programs. The House Budget Committee hearing on the $50.7 billion education budget proposed for the fiscal year that begins in October provided an early glimpse at congressional reaction to the Obama administration's plan to put more emphasis on competitions for federal funding, including its signature Race to the Top initiative that will reward states and school districts whose education policies are in line with Obama's. (more...)
The charter school test case that didn't happen
- 02-26-2010
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By Howard Blume/Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles school officials lost a chance this week to test whether the booming charter movement can take on all the problems of the district's traditional, and often troubled, schools. On Tuesday, the Board of Education denied proposals from three major charter organizations that had sought to run newly built neighborhood schools, which would have included substantial numbers of limited-English speakers, special education students, foster children and low-income families. That is exactly the population that charter schools have been criticized for not sufficiently reaching. Charters are independently managed and exempt from some rules that govern traditional schools. They're also schools of choice -- campuses that parents seek and select. (more...)
Decision over 'free choice' schools
- 02-26-2010
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By Yolanda Arenales/La Opinión (text in Spanish)
The LAUSD School Board decided yesterday afternoon which plans will prevail at the "free choice schools, where the ones presented by teachers and local communities stood out. "The educational quality, community participation and sense of urgency are the main attributes that were considered in my recommendations," said LAUSD Superintendent Ramón Cortines. (more...)
Snatching outrage from the jaws of victory
- 02-26-2010
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By Charles Kechner/Huffington Post
Superintendent Ramon Cortines has made everyone angry. His recommendation for who should run 30 Los Angeles schools gave each of the competing organizations a little, but everyone has a grievance. Demonstrations are planned before, during, and after the Los Angeles Unified School District board meets on Tuesday. Expect a battle of tee-shirted warriors. Wearing red, United Teachers Los Angeles plans a pre-dawn vigil in front of the school district headquarters, and its members are urged to pack the board meeting. Charter school supporters, wearing white, also have demonstration plans but they haven't telegraphed their punches. (more...)
So much for choice at LAUSD campuses
- 02-26-2010
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Editorial/Los Angeles Daily News
Every great movement has its ups and downs, experiences good days and bad, and takes steps forward and back. And Tuesday, the reform effort at the Los Angeles Unified School District took a big step back. The occasion was the Board of Education's vote on who would take over the first slate of new or failing campuses under the School Choice plan. And in the spirit of gutless politicians everywhere, a majority of the board voted to retain the status quo. A down day for the district, indeed. There were 36 schools slated for takeover by outside operators, which is the main thrust of the School Choice program. (more...)
Teachers won
- 02-26-2010
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Editorial/La Opinión
School reform in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) took an unforeseen turn when most of the low-performing schools were awarded to the plan headed by teachers and administrators. United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) President A. J. Duffy assured that now they could implement education plans that were previously blocked by bureaucracy. We hope this is true. The selection was made after a referendum on the various alternatives to run these schools where most people supported the proposal by the teachers, who came to the polls well organized. The LAUSD’s decision was disappointing in part because it left out leading charter school operators, relegating the charter movement to a supporting to role. (more...)
Ideas aplenty to deal with cuts at S.F. schools
- 02-26-2010
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By Jill Tucker/San Francisco Chronicle
Anger and frustration simmered among the people in a standing-room-only crowd Thursday night at a town hall meeting at San Francisco's Marina Middle School, as parents demanded solutions rather than explanations for the severe cuts to staff and programs at their children's schools. An estimated 860 people crammed into the school's auditorium; the overflow spilled into the cafeteria to watch a video feed. During the two-hour event, elected city and state officials on the panel and audience members proposed solutions that ranged from old-fashioned tax increases to legalization of marijuana. Parent Deborah Gitin arrived more than an hour before the 6:30 p.m. start time to get a seat. (more...)
Four Oakland schools to provide mental health services
- 02-26-2010
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By Katy Murphy/Oakland Tribune
At four East Oakland schools, children and teenagers who endure family instability, violence and the constant threat of violence will have the chance to release their stress in a healthy way, with the help of a therapist. Students, principals and others behind the pilot mental health project say counseling will help youths avoid a path of self-destruction — which often involves gangs, drugs and violence. "It kind of keeps you away from all that stuff, knowing that there's somebody you can talk to," said Vanessa Borjas, a 17-year-old at Life Academy. "A lot of times you can't depend on friends that much. They can give you the wrong advice."(more...)
Teachers to appeal mass firings at RI high school
- 02-26-2010
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By Ray Henry/Associated Press
The entire staff of teachers fired in a radical attempt to improve one of the worst performing high schools in Rhode Island will appeal their dismissals to school authorities, the head of the teachers union said Thursday. The board of trustees overseeing the school system in Central Falls, one of the poorest communities in the state, voted Tuesday to fire 88 high school teachers and other support staff by the end of the year. Other administrators will also lose their jobs. Those teachers will appeal their dismissals to the school district's board of trustees, said Jane Sessums, president of the Central Falls Teachers' Union. She plans to meet with union lawyers and other labor representatives in the coming days before deciding whether to take additional legal action. (more...)
Feds delay education stimulus amid concerns over state's accounting
- 03-13-2010
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By Corey G. Johnson/California Watch
Up to $200 million in federal stimulus funds could be in jeopardy unless the state answers allegations that it is using accounting tricks to cover up a lack of spending on public education. The U.S. Department of Education informed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office last week that no decision will be made on the state's application for an upcoming round of stimulus funding until the concerns raised by school districts and education advocates are addressed.
A coalition of community groups, including Public Advocates and Californians for Justice, complained to federal authorities that the state's financial commitment to public schools didn't comply with the minimum levels required to qualify for the stimulus. (more...)
CA educators question national standards plan
- 03-13-2010
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By Carolyn Goossen/New America Media
While health care reform and recession economics have dominated the headlines on domestic policy issues, education finally has come into the spotlight, as the president and state officials have focused on creating a uniform set of education standards that would be applied to public school students throughout the country. Pres. Barack Obama announced recently his plan to require states to implement new standards in order to be eligible for federal Title 1 funding, which is targeted to schools with poor students. And Wednesday, a commission of educators convened by 48 states released its proposed standards for K-12 students in math and English. (more...)
Failing schools list is final
- 03-13-2010
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Blog by John Fensterwald/Educated Guess
The list is in and final. After a four-hour hearing on Thursday, the State Board of Education unanimously approved the revised list of 188 failing schools (see here, here and here) that the Department of Education staff proposed. But not before a line of superintendents and others criticized the process, timing and content of the lists. The schools on the list are supposed to comprise the 5 percent of “persistently lowest performing schools” in need of drastic intervention. They’ll be eligible to apply for federal School Improvement Grants of between $150,000 and $6 million over the next three years. (more...)
Schools across U.S. grapple with closures
- 03-13-2010
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By Alan Greenblatt | NPR
Kansas City, Mo., has just approved one of the largest school closures in the nation's history. All over the U.S., the number of districts shutting schools is growing rapidly in the face of declines in both revenue and enrollment. In one of the largest school closures ever seen in the U.S., the Kansas City, Mo., school board approved a plan Wednesday that will shutter 26 of the district's 61 schools. Kansas City's action may have been drastic, but it's not unique. On Tuesday, Cleveland's school board approved a plan to close or move 16 schools. Detroit, which closed 29 schools before the term began last fall, is considering shutting more. All over the country, many school districts are facing declines in both revenue and enrollment. (more...)
Finalists cram for Race to Top presentations
- 03-13-2010
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By Lesli A. Maxwell/Education Week
With millions of grant dollars on the line, representatives of the 16 state finalists for federal Race to the Top prize money will go to Washington next week to make final, in-person pitches to the U.S. Department of Education for investment in their brand of school reform. How a state’s delegation performs in a 30-minute presentation and a 60-minute question-and-answer session with a panel of judges could make or break its chances in round one of the competition. The Race to the Top Fund will award $4 billion in such grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. (more...)
A shot in the arm for teachers
- 03-13-2010
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Blog by Deborah Meier/Education Week
Dear Diane, I'm back from a trip to Indiana and Ohio. You've brought the teachers and administrators I met great joy and hope. They asked me to say thanks. The level of fear out there in the field is enormous. Of course, many of your critics will be delighted to hear this. They see security as the enemy of progress—and test scores. The more fearful teachers are, the harder it's assumed they will work to keep their jobs, and the more kids will learn. They assumed you were very brave to be so forthright. I told them that, whether I agreed or disagreed with you, forthrightness was always your style. (more...)
5 Bay Area schools off worst-in-state list
- 03-13-2010
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By Jill Tucker/San Francisco Chronicle
Two San Francisco high schools were removed from the list of the 5 percent lowest-performing schools in the state Thursday - a welcome reprieve, but one that will cost them up to $6 million each. Burton and Thurgood Marshall academic high schools were dropped from the list after a California Board of Education vote Thursday allowing a technical change in how middle and high schools were chosen. Of the 188 schools originally on the list released Monday, 37 were removed and replaced by 37 other schools, the vast majority in Southern California. The change leaves San Francisco with 10 district schools that are designated as among the worst in the state. (more...)
Five schools in San Jose, three in East Palo Alto slip 'lowest-performing' label
- 03-13-2010
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By Sharon Noguchi and Denis Theriault/San Jose Mercury News
Five San Jose middle schools escaped being labeled among the state's worst Thursday, as the State Board of Education finalized its list of California's 188 lowest-performing schools targeted for reforms. Two other San Jose schools — Cesar Chavez Elementary and the K-12 Escuela Popular Accelerated Family Learning — landed on the state's list, as did three schools in East Palo Alto. The decision capped a week of upheaval for three San Jose school districts — San Jose Unified, Mount Pleasant and Alum Rock Union — because they had schools on a preliminary list that was made public Monday. That list set off four days of confusion, with critics blasting the process as unfair and poorly planned by the federal government. (more...)
Stanford-run charter on ‘worst’ list
- 03-13-2010
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Blog by John Fensterwald/Educated Guess
Stanford University’s School of Education has a distinguished faculty, and its alumni are outstanding teachers, principals and nonprofit leaders. But this week it acquired a dubious distinction – and a bit of a comeuppance. Stanford New School, the combined charter K-8 and high school that the graduate school of education operates in East Palo Alto, was designated among the 5 percent of persistently lowest performing schools in California. It is one of 188 schools, including eight charter schools, that face restructuring – or closure. (more...)
Charges of 're-segregation' at N.C. High School
- 03-13-2010
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By Dave Dewitt/NPR
A high school in Wayne County, N.C., has a student population that is poor and 99 percent black. That's not the case at other public high schools in the rural county. And that has prompted a civil rights inquiry — and complaints about what one leader calls "re-segregation." Goldsboro High is a classic American high school, with white columns, a two-story brick facade, and transoms over the classroom doors. It was where, 60 years ago, a teenage Carl Kasell took drama from an energetic teacher named Andy Griffith. Now, students like Michael King roam the hallways. (more...)
Board’s decision to close 28 Kansas City schools follows years of inaction
- 03-13-2010
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By Susan Saulny/New York Times
Like so many other public school parents, Reshonda Sanders felt confused on Thursday as she tried to comprehend why nearly half of the schools here, including her own alma mater, are to close for good at the end of the year. As the mother of two high school students, she was well aware of the district’s struggles. “But even so, I thought, Could they be serious? Close almost 30 schools, all at once?” said Ms. Sanders, 34. “That’s devastating for us. How did it get to be this bad? What were they doing for years and years so that something like this happens just like overnight?” (more...)
