Ninety Day News Digest

Districts get the first $2.6 billion of federal stimulus funds. (SF Chronicle) (4/18)

Sacramento gets ready to close underenrolled schools. (Sacramento Bee) (4/14)

The math wars continue in Palo Alto. (SF Chronicle) (4/9)

Some teachers in LAUSD are ready to consider pay cuts. (LA Times blog) (4/4)

Federal funds may not be enough to prevent layoffs. (LA Times) (4/2)

Federal officials warn Gov. Schwarzenegger not to hold back stimulus funds. (LA Examiner) (4/2)

Oakland’s leaders take a sober look at high school students’ course-taking. (Oakland Tribune) (3/24)

Supt. Cortines sees no choice but to cut LAUSD’s budget deeply to stay solvent. (LA Daily News) (3/24)

Some districts are hiring teachers as they’re laying off others. (SJ Mercury News)

A much-praised program to prevent dropouts in LAUSD falls victim to the budget axe. (LA Times)

Teachers rally – wearing pink – to oppose lay-offs. (SF Chronicle)

Pres. Obama’s commitment to better air quality in schools will have an impact in California. (Press-Enterprise)

LAUSD's board okays plan for laying off up to 9,000 staff. (LA Times) (3/11)

Some district leaders agree to pay cuts in the face of sagging district budgets. (Press-Enterprise) (3/10)

San Diego’s board urges older teachers to take early retirement. (SD Union-Tribune)

Some district leaders agree to pay cuts in the face of sagging district budgets. (Press-Enterprise)

The new state budget subtracts $8.4 billion from public schools. (SF Chronicle)

Flexibility is what district leaders are hoping for. (Sac Bee)

Vista’s leaders consider staffing cuts of 12 percent. (SD Union-Tribune)

Flexibility is what district leaders are hoping for. (Sac Bee) (2/26)

District leaders struggle with the cuts for this year and next. (LA Times) (2/23)

The new state budget subtracts $8.4 billion from public schools. (SF Chronicle) (2/23)

Schools where students are learning disabled or from lower income families will get a boost from the feds. (SF Chronicle) (2/14)

Hundreds of SF Unified students went to school with guns last year. (SF Chronicle) (2/13)

District leaders prepare to send layoff notices in four weeks. (Sacramento Bee) (2/13)

Free lifetime health benefits for Los Angeles teachers could be the price LAUSD pays to prevent a strike. (LA Times) (2/12)

San Francisco’s HR office loses teachers to competing districts. (SF Gate) (2/11)

Santa Ana leaders ease up on graduation requirements. (LA Times) (2/8)

Sacramento’s mayor, Kevin Johnson, is tackling schools’ troubles fast. (Sacramento Bee)

Santa Ana school district prepares to layoff 750 staff. (Orange County Register)

Educators in Salinas prepare for a Saturday march to protest pending cuts. (The Californian)

Districts could get a huge boost from the federal stimulus plan. (SF Chronicle) (1/30/09)

The Los Angeles teachers’ union calls for a boycott of testing. (LA Times) (1/28/09)

Manteca’s board offers teachers an eight percent pay cut instead of lay-offs. (Stockton Record) (1/29/09)

Some districts are wondering whether they’ll have money to pay their bills. (SJ Mercury News) (1/26/09)

LA Unified decides to delay teacher lay-offs until next school year. (LA Times) (1/24/09)

Fresno’s supe faces the state budget crisis with confidence and a hefty reserve. (Fresno Bee) (1/20/09)

Adult literacy in California is among the lowest of all 50 states. (Riverside Press-Enterprise) (1/19/09)

Parents in Los Angeles get report cards on their kids’ schools. (LA Times) (1/12/09)

English learners in California are falling behind their peers in other states. (Desert News) (1/8/09)

Clovis recruits students from neighboring districts, and some supes aren’t happy. (Fresno Bee) (1/7/09)

Ventura and Santa Barbara county districts plan to trim sails. (Ventura County Star) (1/6/09)

The Governor’s proposed budget would allow districts to cut a week from the school year. (Sac Bee) (1/2/09)

Los Angeles USD suspends a key arts program mid-year. (LA Times) (1/2/09)

A judge blocks the algebra-for-all-8th-graders mandate. (Sacramento Bee) (12/23)

District leaders are cutting back in Sacramento county. (Sac Bee) (12/23)

Supes in the Inland Empire don’t agree on the benefits of spending flex. (Press-Enterprise) (12/22)

Republican lawmakers want to cut $10 billion from K-12. (Sacramento Bee) (12/20)

Ray Cortines is picked by the LA Unified board to succeed the Admiral. (LA Times) (12/18)

FCMAT rules that Oakland’s district is ready for full local control. (Oakland Tribune) (12/17)

LA Unified’s embattled Supt. Brewer agrees to take a buy-out. (LA Times) (12/16)

San Francisco’s board votes in favor of the college prep curriculum for all. (SF Chronicle) (12/14)

One in three middle school math teachers is unqualified to teach algebra, says a new report. (SF Chronicle) (12/12)

High schools and their students need smarter policies to guide them, says a new report. (Wall Street Journal) (12/9)

The furnaces need fixing in some Fresno schools. (Fresno Bee) (12/9)

Too many high schoolers are taught by teachers who are working out of field. (San Bernardino Press Enterprise)

San Diego is trying to make discipline consistent across all schools. (SD Union-Tribune)

Leaders of LA Unified freeze spending and prepare for more cuts. (LA Times)

Pajaro Valley’s leaders face deeper cuts than ever before. (SJ Mercury News)

Modesto’s schools suffer declining enrollment as foreclosures force parents to move. (Modesto Bee)

Oakland’s leadership has empty pockets and a teachers union that wants big raises. (Oakland Tribune) (11/11)

Alum Rock voters elect a board member who is banned by court order from district property. (SJ Mercury News) (11/11)

Sacramento’s leaders are preparing to close some schools. (Sacramento Bee) (11/10)

Los Angeles voters pass all county school bond measures. (LA Times) (11/8)

Voters in Sacramento provide a mixed message on school funding. (Sacramento Bee) (11/7)

The teachers union influence on San Diego’s school board is likely to increase. (SD Union-Tribune) (11/7)

Bay Area students are excited about the election. (CC Times) (11/3)

San Diego schools hire Bill Sanders to help them see test scores with fresh eyes. (SD Union-Tribune) (11/3)

Schools may suffer mid-year budget cuts. (SF Chronicle) (11/2)

The governor is ready to champion a higher sales tax to keep cuts to a minimum. (LA Times)

A judge delays the state board's order to begin algebra for all 8th graders. (Assoc. Press)

The teachers union is spending heavily on the school board race in San Diego. (SD Union-Tribune) (10/26)

School construction benefits from decline in new home building. (Sacramento Bee) (10/25)

School leaders are worried as new budget cuts loom. (Sacramento Bee) (10/24)

Districts are still waiting for funds to arrive after nearly three months of budget delays. (Fresno Bee) (10/23)

Retired teachers are returning to classrooms in record numbers. (Sacramento Bee) (10/20)

Districts are still waiting for funds to arrive after nearly three months of budget delays. (Fresno Bee)

High numbers of English learners in San Diego County make it more likely that schools won't meet their federal AYP mark. (SD Union-Tribune) (10/19)

Schools in Sacramento County will soon be scouting large numbers of new teachers. (Sacramento Bee) (10/16)

As the economy sags, state financial officials urge districts to brace for cuts next year. (Sacramento Bee) (10/13)

Schools in Sacramento County will soon be scouting large numbers of new teachers. (Sacramento Bee) (10/12)

Sec. Duncan hints that the Obama administration will expect more innovation. (NY Times) (4/15)

The stimulus funds start flowing. (Ed Week) (4/1)

The Supreme Court hears a key case on English learners. (Ed Week) (4/1)

The big pot of federal funds for innovation go to those ready to reval more data. (NY Times) (3/30)

Other countries do more to help teachers excel. (Christian Science Monitor) (3/24)

Stimulus funds don’t always land in the districts that need them most. (NY Times)

Pres. Obama criticizes legislators for “stale debates” that block progress in education. (SF Chronicle)

Sec. of Education Arne Duncan urges districts to make smart use of stimulus funds. (NY Times)

Pres. Obama calls on states to remove ceilings on charter schools. (LA Times) (3/11)

The details of the stimulus bill mean much to schools. (Wall Street Journal)

Pres. Obama shines a light on troubling high school and college completion rates. (LA Times)

Urban districts compare notes on operational efficiency. (Ed Week) (2/11/09)

Boards are seeking district leaders from new sources. (Education Week) (2/4/09)

The federal stimulus package may bring help to districts. (NY Times) (1/28/09)

The economic stimulus package could mean a windfall of funds for California. (LA Times) (1/26/09)

Schools could get a boost with Obama’s recovery plan. (Education Week) (1/22/09)

A math error costs Maryland’s largest district $24 million. (Washington Post) (1/11/09)

New Jersey considers eliminating special elections to pass school district budgets. (NY Times) (1/5/09)

Applications for college are clogging the Common App Web site. (NY Times) (1/2/09)

In cramped New York City, small schools flourish in big buildings. (NY Times) (12/24)

Chicago’s chief, Arne Duncan, gets the nod from Pres.-elect Obama. (NY Times) (12/16)

The new U.S. Sec. of Education faces a system in crisis. (Associated Press) (12/15)

Financially strapped Maryland and Virginia districts are boosting class size. (Washington Post) (12/9)

Linda Darling-Hammond is leading the Obama education team. (Ed Week)

Assigning grades to high schools in New York City provokes debate. (NY Times)

The head of the national teachers union, Randi Weingarten, affirms incentive pay. (Associated Press)

Pres. Obama may put education reform on the back burner. (Wall Street Journal) (11/10)

Obama’s triumph becomes a teachable moment. (Washington Post) (11/7)

Educators are adjusting to an economy in trouble. (USA Today) (11/2)

Federal rules for reporting on drop-outs get tougher. (USA Today) (10/30)

Teachers in D.C. take test scores to the bank as bonuses. (USA Today) (10/25)

Some Texas mayors are knocking on doors to bring dropouts back to school. (Wall Street Journal) (10/22)

Tennessee is using real data to analyze the effectiveness of individual teachers. (Education Week) (10/20)

Education issues are low profile in the McCain and Obama debates. (USA Today) (10/16)

Students today are less likely to surpass their parents’ level of education. (Diverse) (10/12)

Texans disagree on a proposal to standardize grades across all high schools in the state. (Dallas News) (10/8)

District finances are disrupted by the banking crisis. (Education Week) (10/2)

Professor Joseph Viteritti looks at what happens when mayors run schools. (Education Week) (4/8)

This editorial points toward California’s opportunity to compete for federal innovation funds. (SJ Mercury News) (4/3)

David Tokofsky suggests that LA Unified’s leaders create jobs, not end them. (LA Times) (3/26)

Reporter Jay Mathews argues that better teachers help students more than smaller classes. (Washington Post)

This editorial board calls for Sac City’s board to close underutilized schools. (Sacramento Bee) (3/10)

Sacramento City USD’s board president and superintendent affirm the value of listening. (Sac Bee)

Columnist Nicholas Kristoff assets that neglect of education is “our national shame.” (NYT) (2/15)

Prof. Peter Dreier gives the Governor and legislators an “F” in education. (Huffington Post)

The CTA gets a lashing by this editorial board for its selfish ad campaign. (Sacramento Bee) (1/30/09)

This editorial board praises the new bill by Sen. Simitian to push our education data system into the modern era. (Sac Bee) (1/8/09)

This editorial board gives some New Year’s advice to the board of LA Unified. (LA Times) (1/2/09)

Malcolm Gladwell explores the difficulties in selecting successful teachers. (New Yorker) (1/1/09)

Ray Cortines returns to the supe’s chair at LA Unified, and shares his plans for rough sailing ahead. (LA Times) (12/24)

This influential editorial board urges a timeout for teacher tenure. (LA Times) (12/15)

Jay Matthews asks how districts hire and retain so many ineffective principals. (Washington Post) (12/9)

Dan Walters notes that the Governor’s plan for school funding would reform categorical funding. (Sacramento Bee) (12/4)

Professor Jacob Adams proposes that school funding follow students, not schools. (LA Times Blog) (11/14)

This editorial board is worried whether Fresno’s board can govern wisely with a teacher’s union leader at the table. (Fresno Bee) (11/7)

Dan Walters is worried that the state budget crunch will put schools on the cutting board. (Sacramento Bee) (11/1)

This newspaper’s editorial board urges education leaders to hold the bar high for English learners. (SD Union-Tribune) (10/20)

This editorial board affirms a scholarly criticism of the NCLB law calling for all students to be “proficient” by 2014. (SJ Mercury News) (10/18)

Researcher Daniel Koresh believes test results create “illusions of progress.” (Education Week) (10/3)

Reporter Jay Matthews reconsiders the wisdom of algebra-for-all. (Washington Post) (9/28)

This high school class in Pomona make a video about the recession and many are listening. (LA Times)

You can enter a contest to rename NCLB (and see what others have suggested.) (NY Times)

Students play trader in a simulated stock market game and see the down side. (SD Union-Tribune)

Students play trader in a simulated stock market game and see the down side. (SD Union-Tribune)

Debate returns as a high school favorite. (LA Times)

Sightings of school buses are few and far between. (SD Union-Tribune)

Student leaders have some advice for district leaders about how to run schools. (Sacramento Bee) (11/6)

Economics teachers in Sacramento schools have a field day with the plunging stock market. (Sac Bee) (11/2)

Meet Janet Anderson, Sacramento County’s teacher of the year, who makes math a breeze. (Sac Bee) (9/28)

The budget impasse takes a heavy toll on students and teachers. (SF Chronicle) (9/14)

Students at San Francisco’s Lincoln High join a winning team in an international biotech competition. (SF Chronicle) (9/2)