A new study released Tuesday finds that teacher turnover at Los Angeles charter schools is nearly three times higher than in the district’s traditional public schools. The findings contribute to the current debate over teacher effectiveness.
Teachers leave schools for personal and professional reasons. At traditional L.A. Unified schools, teacher turnover hovered at about 15 percent during a recent six-year period, says UC Berkeley scholar Xiaoxia Newton.
At charter schools, she adds, it was about 40 percent. “One of the implications is that with nowadays’ teacher evaluation and accountability and also teacher development focus, if we have such a mobile teaching force, how are we going to calculate value-added?”
That’s the new teacher evaluation method that’ll likely be part of L.A. Unified’s major overhaul of the way it evaluates and retains teachers.
From WFAA-TV: The Keller (Texas) school district is imposing a fee for busing students to and from classes. Families will pay $185 for one child to ride the bus and $135 for each additional child for each semester of school. Families with children on free or reduced lunches would pay $100 a semester per child. T
Ok, so at this point, we are all newbies at Google Plus, right? At least if you got in recently via a Google Plus invite. At this point I’ve spent a decent amount of time with it and have concluded that Google has finally made a positive mark in social networking. It’s still early, but there is a lot of excitement around Google+ by those who have jumped on early, and for good reason. Google has launched a social network with several features designed to leapfrog its competition. What’s evident, as more and more people start using Google’s social network, is the need for help for newer users. In this post you’ll learn how to quickly add friends to your network, what circles are, how I’m using circles to be more productive, how photos are displayed, what your profile page is and why it’s important, security, some advanced tips, browser plugins, and more. May it serve as a good first step to help you and others make the most of the social network.
Pemberton Township Schools Calls on Carousel Industries to Deliver Comprehensive, Meru-Based Wireless Solution for Its K-12 Program
Upgrade Enables Several Campuses to Transition Towards Project-Based Learning, With Ubiquitous Wireless Connectivity for Both Students and Staff
Pemberton Township Schools operates 11 K-12 schools in Burlington County, NJ, serving nearly 5,000 students in three towns. The school system, which includes nine elementary schools, one middle school and one high school, initiated a comprehensive upgrade to its aging wireless infrastructure. Carousel Industries was called on to plan and implement the solution, which centered on a Meru wireless/gateway controller system.
Pemberton, which recently implemented its “Blueprints for Success” program for accelerating learning in the classroom environment, has a total of 2,500 computers in its district and is constantly refreshing its technology to provide its students with the best possible learning environment.
Matthew McCain, in a dress shirt and slacks, opens the doors for strangers and greets those he knows with a mister or Ms. in front of their first name.
The 24-year-old stands out from other Durham Technical Community College students. But he is more than a student.
McCain is the president of Visions, a peer mentoring group that attracts anywhere from 20 to 80 mostly male minority students each semester. The group helps members achieve academic, social, professional and personal success.
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Matthew Stewart believes there is a place for charter schools. Just not in his schoolyard.
Mr. Stewart, a stay-at-home father of three boys, moved to this wealthy township, about 20 miles from Midtown Manhattan, three years ago, filling his life with class activities and soccer practices. But in recent months, he has traded play dates for protests, enlisting more than 200 families in a campaign to block two Mandarin-immersion charter schools from opening in the area.
The group, Millburn Parents Against Charter Schools, argues that the schools would siphon money from its children’s education for unnecessarily specialized programs. The schools, to be based in nearby Maplewood and Livingston, would draw students and resources from Millburn and other area districts.
“I’m in favor of a quality education for everyone,” Mr. Stewart said. “In suburban areas like Millburn, there’s no evidence whatsoever that the local school district is not doing its job. So what’s t
From The Richmond Times-Dispatch: U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner and a bipartisan group of colleagues are asking Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to make the repair of military-base schools a top priority. According to the investigation by the Center for Public Integrity, 75 percent of Defense Department-run schools on military installations are either beyond repair or would require extensive renovation to meet minimum standards for safety, quality, accessibility and design.
JUNE 2011…from iWatchnews.org: Tens of thousands of children attend schools on U.S. military bases that are falling apart from age and neglect, and fail to meet even the militarys own standards.