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
The Latest from IDEA
A newsfeed on the most current research, news, and events at IDEA.
New Youth Research council begins
The 2010-11 Council of Youth Research kicked off this week as students from five Los Angeles high schools began a summer seminar at UCLA.
During the five-week course, about 35 new and returning students from Crenshaw, Locke, Roosevelt, Wilson and Manual Arts high schools will learn graduate-level research methods and critical social theory, skills that will be employed during their year-long research project.
This year's research topic focuses on the 10th anniversary of the Williams case. Williams v. California, a class action suit filed in 2000 on behalf of the state's schoolchildren, charged that the state's educational agencies failed to provide equal access to instructional materials, safe and decent school facilities and qualified teachers. It was settled in 2004.
Council students will consider the changes they have seen or haven't in the wake of the Williams settlement. Also, they will highlight "educational acts of courage."
June 26: Parcel taxes help some communities combat cuts
IDEA Director John Rogers was quoted in an Associated Press article over the weekend that discussed the role parcel taxes have taken as local communities attempt to deal with diminishing budgets and deeper cuts to education.
Parcel taxes are levied on individual parcels of property. So far this year, more than 20 school districts have held elections and 16 have met the minimum two-thirds requirement to pass them. They are mostly winning in smaller, wealthier communities.
"Across the state, the pain is felt everywhere, but because of the unequal distribution of wealth, some areas are able to respond," Rogers said.
To read the full story, click here.
May 22: Educators discuss teacher-effectiveness models
About 70 teachers and administrators attended a half-day workshop Saturday at UCLA to discuss teacher effectiveness.
Organized by Center X, the workshop allowed Los Angeles Unified School District educators to review and develop tools for measuring quality teaching.
Teacher effectiveness has been a hot topic recently, featuring prominently in education reform efforts from the national to local levels. It's a key element of President Obama's Race to the Top initiative. Last month, Sacramento introduced a bill that would change teacher evaluation measures, among other things. And, around the same time, LAUSD's teacher effectiveness task force issued a series of recommendations, including changes to the evaluation and tenure processes, and incentive pay.
"The idea is to start the local debate," said Karen Hunter Quartz, research and communications director at Center X. "The LAUSD task force has been operating at 30,000 feet but they haven't landed yet."
Titled "Grounding the Debate about Teacher Quality," particpants heard a keynote speech from Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, and specific practices used at Manual Arts High School and UCLA Community School.
The educators also attended one of four different workshops on measurement tools, such as the use of portfolios, classwork and parent surveys.
May 21: IDEA director comments on teacher-quality resources
The recent release of the annual Public Policy Institute of California's survey gauging state residents' attitudes toward education was covered Friday by the New America Media.
"Californians and Education," which was released in April, surveyed more than 2,500 adults about education funding, teacher quality, economic impacts and achievement gaps. The institute found that 62 percent of people--a 12-point increase from last year--thought the state was not spending enough on education.
Eighty percent of Californians polled said low-income schools have fewer resources than their wealtheir counterparts. And 51 percent would support spending more money to attract and retain quality teachers for these schools.
IDEA Director John Rogers, who was interviewed for the article, said it was ironic that given how much emphasis is currently placed on quality teaching, resources to provide for that are being eliminated.
Rogers said districts have cut professional development, academic coaches and assistant principals. "We're not enabling teachers to move along a pathway to provide higher quality instruction," he said.
For full New America Media article, click here.
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