Top Stories and Commentary for Wednesday, August 13, 2008

By Mel Bertrand/UCLA Today

Last month, a group of young people from across Los Angeles stepped hesitantly into the crowded lunch area of Woodrow Wilson High School, clutching video cameras, recording devices, pens and notepads. Unsure of what to do at first, these students from historically underachieving high schools in Los Angeles then began to break out of their huddle to get what they came for: honest answers from other students to bold questions: “How do you feel about school police on campus?” and “Do you feel like you have a voice on this campus?” This was the start of a unique research project for high school students participating in a summer seminar held by UCLA’s Institute of Democracy, Education and Access (IDEA).

School district’s ‘A-G’ program promises to make university prep classes standard by 2012. In three years, it has made little headway.
By Jason Song/Los Angeles Times

Three years ago, Roosevelt High School student Jose Orea went to Los Angeles Unified School District headquarters and handed out pamphlets imploring officials to provide more college preparatory courses. It was the first time he’d gotten involved in politics, and he was filled with enthusiasm. When the L.A. Board of Education agreed to ensure that all students would have access to the classes by 2006 and to require them for the class of 2012, Orea, then a sophomore, thought he’d made a difference.

By Jill Tucker/San Francisco Chronicle

California’s schools will need an additional $3.1 billion annually - $2,100 more for every middle school student - to implement the governor’s new eighth-grade algebra testing requirement, California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said Tuesday. That would be more than a 6 percent increase to the state’s $50 billion in education spending. The money would be used primarily to extend the school day or the academic year and lower class sizes for middle school students, according to a plan O’Connell and state education leaders presented in Sacramento. Without the funding, O’Connell said, California can expect an overwhelming failure rate in the algebra tests.

Blog by John Fesnterwald/San Jose Mercury News

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today released a $3.1 billion plan for statewide Algebra I instruction and a challenge to Gov. Schwarzenegger: Either put up or take back. If you’re not willing to fund the program, then ask the state Board of Education to rescind its decision requiring all eighth graders to take Algebra I within three years. O’Connell is still ticked that Schwarzenegger pressured the state Board of Education, over his opposition, to make Algebra I universal in middle school. But his Algebra I Success Initiative is a comprehensive, serious response. And O’Connell timed it while next year’s budget is still in play to emphasize that Schwarzenegger cannot let other year go by before beginning the work to get kids ready for Algebra I.

By Justin Pope/San Francisco Chronicle

Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam dipped slightly for the high school class of 2008 as the number of students taking the exam jumped by 9 percent compared to last year. This year’s results, released Wednesday, reveal that more than three in four test-takers will likely need remedial help in at least one subject to succeed in college. But the ACT’s creators said it was good news that average scores held nearly steady even as more students took the exam. That means the total number who’ve earned benchmark scores showing they’re ready for college-level work is rising.

States adopt exit exams
Aprobarlo será requisito para obtener el diploma de la secundaria.
Passing it is becoming a requirement for getting a high school diploma.
By Rubén Moreno/ La Opinión

Obtener el diploma de la secundaria sin haber aprobado un examen final que evalúe los conocimientos del estudiante es una práctica que cada vez se está volviendo más común en Estados Unidos. Un total de 14 estados de la nación están considerando la opción de que las pruebas de final de curso jueguen el papel determinante de conceder o no el diploma al estudiante, aunque se hayan completado todas las clases.
Getting a high school diploma without first approving an exit exam that evaluates student’s knowledge is becoming an ever more common practice in the United States. A total of 14 states in the country are considering the option of having the exit exam play a determining role in granting a high school diploma to the student, even if all other coursework has been completed.

Also Noted for Wednesday, August 13, 2008:

By Kimberly S. Wetzel West County Times

The West Contra Costa school district and its teachers union will take their first stab at a new contract today, and one issue is sure to be contentious during the bargaining: retiree health benefits.

The district, which faces an $8 million deficit this year, offers a lifetime health benefits package for most of its employees and their spouses. But the perk comes at a huge taxpayer cost  an estimated $495 million in unfunded liability, more than twice the district’s operating budget.

And according to a recent study on the issue, the estimated cost will grow to $727 million once currently ineligible employees become eligible. Officials hope to negotiate a change to those benefits to help reduce costs.

Two different groups protest layoffs and the displacement of a youth soccer league.
By Fermin Leal/Orange County Register

About 400 people descended on the Santa Ana Unified School District’s board meeting Tuesday to protest school cuts and rally against the displacement of a youth soccer league from a school’s fields. Two-hundred of the protesters, a group made up primarily of classified employees and family members, arrived at the district’s headquarters on Chestnut Avenue near Grand Avenue at about 4:30 p.m. to oppose the recent school cuts to the district’s budget. More than 100 classified employees, including clerks, custodians, and instructional aides, lost their jobs this summer as district officials trimmed about $30 million from the budget.

Blog by Caroline Grannan/San Francisco Examiner

Not to be removed from authorized site. San Francisco may have to discontinue its summer lunch program for children and youth – which runs with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding – because of the USDA’s nightmarish bureacratic regulations, a top city official has warned. Auditing is vigilant, and if the city is nailed for a violation, all of its federal funding could be in jeopardy. Margaret Brodkin, director of the city’s Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF), made that announcement at an event last week run by the USDA to gather input on its Child Nutrition programs. Brodkin’s comments were reported on the BeyondChron website today.

Berylwood teachers hope murals will inspire students
Art depicts core principles.
By Alicia Doyle/Ventura County Star

A team of teachers at Berylwood School in Simi Valley is instilling positive character traits in the student body through a visual presentation of words and pictures painted on walls throughout the school. Based on the theme Building for Success, the mural project shows core principles and values that enhance students’ lives, said Principal Nidia Grijalva-Imbler. "The purpose of this project is to continue to foster a sense of responsibility, respect and acceptance in our students," Grijalva-Imbler said. "It will be a visual representation of our values as a school and community."