January 5, 2011 - Chester Upland teachers to work without pay

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Chester Upland teachers to work without pay

Dan Hardy at Philadelphia Inquirer, John Kopp at Delco Times, PSEA Press Release

http://keystonestateeducationcoalition.blogspot.com/2012/01/chester-upland-teachers-to-work-without.html

Hempfield SD facing $4.4M budget shortfall

Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era, Jan 03, 2012 23:20

By TOM KNAPP Staff Writer

Hempfield School District is looking at a $4.4 million shortfall in its 2012-13 operating budget.

In a brief presentation to the school board Tuesday, Mary Lynne Kniley, director of finance for the district, said early projections for the coming school year indicate expenditures of $103.8 million and revenues of $98.4 million.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/561953_Hempfield-facing--4-4M-budget-shortfall.html#ixzz1iVEfptwO

New twist in education: 'Flipped classroom' makes homework an in-school effort, puts lectures online

Thursday, January 05, 2012

By Mary Niederberger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pete Bouvy, a math teacher at Mt. Lebanon High School for 15 years, spent most of his career using his class time to lecture to his students and demonstrate how to work through problems. Then, he sent the students home to do their homework alone.

But recently, he came across the concept of what is called the "flipped classroom" -- a practice that uses homework time for lectures and class time for homework.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12005/1201265-55-0.stm#ixzz1iaFmzkJG

Narrow Iowa Winner Romney Has Long Education Record

Education Week Politics K-12 Blog By Alyson Klein on January 4, 2012 8:25 AM

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Iowa caucus by the thinnest of margins, edging out former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum by just eight votes, according to published reports. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, a longtime critic of the federal role in education who has said he wants to scrap the federal student lending program, placed a close third.

Romney has a long record and a lot of ideas on education redesign. He's a fan of standardized testing, and has credited the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 with providing a much-needed boost to accountability. In fact, he was one of the NCLB law's biggest champions when he ran for president back in 2008. But this year, he has also emphasized the need to step up the state role when it comes to K-12.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2012/01/former_massachusetts_gov_mitt.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Pediatrics: Student Achievement, Poverty and “Toxic Stress”

The Core Knowledge Blog by Robert Pondiscio January 4th, 2012

It’s a safe bet that not many teachers are avid readers of the medical journal Pediatrics.  But a report that appeared in the publication last week deserves to be read and understood deeply by everyone in education.  It has the potential to transform the way we think and speak about children who grow up in poverty–and education as a means of addressing its worst effects.

The report links “toxic stress” in early childhood to a host of bad life outcomes including poor mental and physical health, and cognitive impairment.  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in an accompanying policy statement, calls on its members to “catalyze fundamental change in early childhood policy and services” in response.

http://blog.coreknowledge.org/2012/01/04/student-achievement-poverty-and-toxic-stress/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheCoreKnowledgeBlog+%28The+Core+Knowledge+Blog%29

They are following the national playbook on vouchers in Louisiana – sell them as “saving poor kids in failing schools” and then expand them…

School voucher expansion expected to be part of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's legislative agenda

Published: Tuesday, January 03, 2012, 9:00 PM

By Andrew Vanacore, The Times-Picayune 

Gov. Bobby Jindal and his allies on education reform are considering an unprecedented, statewide expansion of private school vouchers and steps to more closely link teachers' job security with performance, according to two officials who have consulted with the governor's office on proposals for this year's session at the Louisiana Legislature.

http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/01/gov_bobby_jindals_legislative.html