Education News Roundup: Aug. 27, 2012

Today’s Top Picks:

Two Utah State Board of Education candidates sue over Utah’s ballot selection process.
http://goo.gl/JKQlD (SLT)
and http://goo.gl/kSFP3 (HuffPo)

Trust lands money is on the rise.
http://goo.gl/I9477 (DN)

What the education difference between President Obama and Mitt Romney?
http://goo.gl/yTiwA (CSM)
and http://goo.gl/YTM0h (Hechinger Report) and http://goo.gl/BKU8B (Reuters)

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TODAY’S HEADLINES
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UTAH

State school board hopefuls sue Utah AG, selection committee Education » Lawsuit says Utah politicizes the state school board.

Money for schools: Land trust revenues skyrocketing for Utah

State ACT scores dip, InTech’s highest in valley

North Elementary trying new curriculum
Teachers emphasize math, science topics with help from partnership with SUU

Two languages: Dual immersion expands in Southern Utah

Weber district sending iPads to 29 elementary schools

Provo second-grade teacher loves making impact on students

District welcomes Chinese guest teachers

Intense schooling needed to teach ‘Home Ec’

Bob Jones’ private schools in Utah in trouble again?
Old problems resurfacing for real estate developer Bob Jones.

Fitch rates Granite SD, Utah GOs ‘AAA’

Lehi literacy center refusing to turn children away again

Junior high in Magna to house new health clinic

Red carpet welcomes kids back to school

Viewer Photos: Back to School

Firefighters battle blaze at Farr West school

Girl Scouts, high school students reseed Rosecrest Fire burn scar

Alpine district, American Fork disagree over sidewalk funds

U.S. Senator calls for action against chemicals in school supplies

See which state’s students are the most prepared for college

From the Web: Creationism is not appropriate for children

Utah petroleum firms gives to charity

UUC plans clothing, school supply swap

5,600 back-to-school items to children at shelter

OPINION & COMMENTARY

Dual languages

Thumbs up, thumbs down

Beehives and Buffalo Chips

How about schools for new jobs

New data suggests education pays off

Indiana education voucher experiment: year two begins

The safety 6: Tips for back to elementary school

LAND Trust fund grows … will charters get a fair piece?

Harvard-Brookings study finds vouchers increased college enrollment for black students

Red Meat Radio

Seniors and schools

Education method encourages love of learning

Shame on Sky View football coaches

California’s School Head Fake
Sacramento tries to strip student performance from teacher evaluations.

Who Could Be Romney’s Education Secretary?

NATION

Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 differences on education

Making English Part of the Fabric
School Districts Try New Approaches in Teaching Foreign-Language Speakers as Achievement Requirements Get Tougher.

Groups Form Task Force to Sway Teacher-Prep Rules

Web class on a snow day? Only for some
Schools can use ‘eDays’ to avoid extending year; Should more schools take advantage of ‘eDays’?

These Days, It’s Back to School, Then Shopping

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UTAH NEWS
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State school board hopefuls sue Utah AG, selection committee Education » Lawsuit says Utah politicizes the state school board.

Utah’s controversial way of picking candidates for the state school board has landed the state and its attorney general in court — again.
The two women who filed a lawsuit this week in U.S. District Court, including a board incumbent, were passed over by a committee that winnows down a list of candidates for the governor, who selects nominees to place on the ballot. Joined by a resident who wanted to vote for one of the women, they claim Utah laws violate the U.S. Constitution.
Paul Murphy, spokesman for Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, said Friday it’s too soon to comment on the lawsuit.
Two years ago, when the committee bounced Incumbent Denis Morrill, a state judge ruled the laws did not violate the Constitution.
The plaintiffs’ attorney, David Irvine, said Friday he hopes the federal system will give the constitutional questions “a better shake.”
Incumbent Carol Murphy was elected by Park City area voters four years ago, but rejected in her re-election bid by the Committee for the Recruitment and Nomination of Members of the Utah State Board of Education last April. She is joined by plaintiffs Carmen Snow, who was rejected as a candidate for the seat representing Washington County, and Stacey McGinnis, who wanted to vote for Snow.
The suit alleges the women were rejected, in violation of their First Amendment rights, because they are advocates of public education rather than what it calls “privatization” of schools via school vouchers and other mechanisms.
http://goo.gl/JKQlD (SLT)

http://goo.gl/kSFP3 (HuffPo)

Money for schools: Land trust revenues skyrocketing for Utah

SALT LAKE CITY — A state-by-state comparison of money generated for schools by land in trust shows that Utah — second only to Mississippi — has experienced skyrocketing growth in how much money it has socked away, growing 270 percent since 2001.
Interest and dividends from the fund, valued at $1.3 billion, are returned to public secondary schools statewide, with a record-setting $29 million being distributed to school community councils this year.
Those councils, made up of parents, decide how the money is spent based on identified areas of “critical academic” concerns.
http://goo.gl/I9477 (DN)

State ACT scores dip, InTech’s highest in valley

ACT scores at schools throughout Utah dropped in 2012, but officials are quick to point out the total number of tests taken in the state rose dramatically due to a pilot program that helped provide funding for most Utah students to take the college entrance exam.
According to statistics released this week, Utah’s average ACT score fell from 21.8 in 2011 to 20.7 in 2012. However, an additional 7,674 students took the test in 2012, raising the percentage of high school seniors who took the exam from 73 to 97 percent.
Among the 10 states with at least 95 percent participation, Utah ranked second in the nation behind only Illinois (20.9) and tied with North Dakota.
http://goo.gl/aRWJT (LHJ)

North Elementary trying new curriculum
Teachers emphasize math, science topics with help from partnership with SUU

CEDAR CITY — North Elementary School is focusing its curriculum on science, technology, engineering and math — with arts education woven throughout the lessons — this school year, making the institution a STEAM school.
Ray Whittier, principal for North Elementary, said faculty members are establishing routines in the classroom as the new school year is getting underway, but they are also trying to inculcate students with the idea that learning science will be an important part of their education.
As a component of a partnership between Southern Utah University and North Elementary, the university plans to lend science equipment to the elementary school as well as have its faculty help teachers with lesson plans and other tasks, Whittier said. Additionally, professors and students from SUU are planning to help North Elementary start science and computer clubs that will meet once a week beginning in October. Education students from SUU will begin serving as teachers’ aides in North Elementary classrooms Sept. 4.
http://goo.gl/2Cq0n (SGS)

Two languages: Dual immersion expands in Southern Utah

HURRICANE — For more than a week, Three Falls Elementary School student Riley DuCrest has understood little of what his new teacher is saying.
Of course, as one of 871 students in Washington and Iron counties in a dual language immersion classroom this year, he has an excuse — his teacher, Barbie Christensen, is speaking entirely in Mandarin Chinese. And after just seven days of his first-grade class, he’s already starting to catch on.
“Xie Xie,” DuCrest said during class on Friday, repeating what he has figured out means “thank you” in Mandarin.
It’s part of a small but quickly growing vocabulary he and his classmates are picking up as they dive head-first into the program, one of three Chinese immersion programs the district has started this year, and one of five new programs in Southern Utah — two other schools are new to the program, teaching Spanish this year in Washington County, as is East Elementary School in Cedar City.
The new programs add to what is a fast-growing initiative in Utah to lead the nation in dual immersion, a not-so-new technique in which students spend half of their classroom time learning in English and the other half learning in a second language.
http://goo.gl/XuWYk (SGS)

Weber district sending iPads to 29 elementary schools

OGDEN — The Weber School District’s Ogden warehouse had the look of a North Pole toy workshop this week as 20 or so happy, busy workers customized and boxed nearly 1,000 iPads destined for delivery to the district’s 29 elementary schools.
By early September, each school will receive 35 iPads. Each shipment will be divided into five units per grade and packaged in a rolling case for easy transfer between teachers.
“We ran pilot programs at a few schools and found iPads are very effective (in helping) students with reading and learning math facts, so we determined we wanted to go big,” said Dave Brooks, district director of technology.
http://goo.gl/DuxMo (OSE)

Provo second-grade teacher loves making impact on students

PROVO — It is the very first day of school and Courtney Harrison has her second-grade class huddled around her on the floor. Their faces show a mixture of nervous excitement. Harrison pulls out a colorful paperback book called “First Day Jitters” and begins to read.
Sarah Hartwell, the book’s main character, hides under her covers and explains she is not getting out of bed or going to school. Mr. Hartwell comes into the room and reminds her how nervous she was in years past, and how much she came to love her class. While she remains hidden from view for most of the story, Sarah is convinced to get up and go to school. On the last page, as she stands in front of the class, it is revealed that Sarah is not one of the students. She is the teacher.
“Now, do you think I didn’t feel exactly like Sarah this morning?” Harrison asked of her new class.
With only one year of teaching experience under her belt, Harrison, 23, can certainly relate to Sarah Hartwell.
http://goo.gl/4De1x (PDH)

District welcomes Chinese guest teachers

SANTA CLARA — Arrowhead Elementary School teacher Yue Chen doesn’t have an easy job. Seven thousand miles from home and tasked with teaching first-graders in a language most of them have never even heard before, it has been a busy first week of classes for the 29-year-old.
But as her students continue to learn, and get used to the fact that she’ll speak to them entirely in her native Mandarin Chinese, things are getting easier, she said during an interview last week.
“The first day was really hard. They don’t know anything. Zero,” Chen said, explaining that it takes a few tricks of the trade to make it work. During class, she uses gestures, pictures, songs, games and a long list of other techniques to get her point across.
It is a huge effort, but Chen said the chance to teach in the United States makes it more than worth it.
http://goo.gl/hRIu5 (SGS)

Intense schooling needed to teach ‘Home Ec’

SALT LAKE CITY — School is starting today for a lot of kids in Salt Lake County. But some students who signed up for what they thought was an easy class may be in for a rude awakening. Officials say teaching what used to be known as “home ec” isn’t as easy as it looks.
Technically, it’s not “home economics” anymore. It’s officially called “Family and Consumer Sciences,” and to qualify as an instructor in this field, people need to go through some intense schooling. They need a composite degree, which means one minor isn’t enough.
Family and Consumer Sciences Education Specialist Pearl Hart said, “They have to have a minor in family, marriage and human development, along with early child education. They have to have food science and nutrition courses that require inorganic and organic chemistry.”
http://goo.gl/Jui5I (KSL)

Bob Jones’ private schools in Utah in trouble again?
Old problems resurfacing for real estate developer Bob Jones.

For years, private Utah schools associated with real estate developer Bob Jones and his family have courted controversy.
Teachers have left. Allegations have flown. Accreditation has been tenuous.
Now some of those old problems appear to be resurfacing.
http://goo.gl/6lgJS (SLT)

Fitch rates Granite SD, Utah GOs ‘AAA’

Fitch Ratings assigns an ‘AAA’ rating to the following Granite School District, Utah (the district) general obligation (GO)school building bonds: –$36.5 million series 2012. The ‘AAA’ rating is based on the state’s full faith and credit guarantee provided as credit enhancement to the district’s GO bonds under the Utah School Bond Default Avoidance Program, rated ‘AAA’ by Fitch. In addition, Fitch assigns an underlying rating of ‘AAA’ to the bonds, reflecting the district’s credit quality without consideration of the guarantee provided by the Utah School Bond Default Avoidance Program.
http://goo.gl/ebs1k (Reuters)

Lehi literacy center refusing to turn children away again

LEHI — After being forced one year ago to turn away children who needed help learning to read, this year everything has changed at Lehi’s literacy center.
Director Nancy Weitzel took it hard last year when struggling youth had to be refused help. So this year, she dumped some superfluous programs that were sucking up funding, stretched the budget in a Herculean manner, recruited a new army of volunteers — and this time is turning no one away, whether they are Lehi children or not.
http://goo.gl/tZbTR (PDH)

Junior high in Magna to house new health clinic

MAGNA — Starting this fall, a team of community partners will offer physical and mental health services at Brockbank Junior High for students and their families.
The goal of the integrated approach is to improve the health and well-being of students and members of their immediate families who are uninsured or underinsured, said Kelly Colopy, associate director of Salt Lake County’s Community Services Department.
http://goo.gl/NXprS (DN)

http://goo.gl/1gjsJ (KSL)

Red carpet welcomes kids back to school

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah – Utah kids went back to school Monday across the valley, but for Butler Elementary in Cottonwood Heights the kids got the red carpet treatment.
This is a tradition for the Canyons School District. The district did red carpet arrivals at twelve schools in the district, in total they gave a grand welcome to thousands of Canyons School District students.
http://goo.gl/aaJQ3 (KTVX)

http://goo.gl/SGnwL (SLT)

http://goo.gl/pjS8e (DN)

Viewer Photos: Back to School

Monday marks the start of the new school year for many in Utah. Submit your photos of the return to classes.
http://goo.gl/ImWpx (KSTU)

Firefighters battle blaze at Farr West school

FARR WEST — Classes will resume as scheduled Monday at West Weber Elementary despite a fire that heavily damaged one classroom and caused minimal damage to another Friday evening.
Firefighters from three departments responded to a blaze at West Weber Elementary, 4178 W 900 South, shortly after 7 p.m.
The fire apparently started after electric insulating tape wrapped on a pipe in the ceiling of a third grade classroom shorted out, said Nate Taggart, a spokesman for the Weber School District.
One classroom sustained significant water damage and an adjoining classroom had minimal damage.
The school year began for Weber School District students on Wednesday but the school was empty when the blaze broke out and there were no injuries.
http://goo.gl/xYcH9 (OSE)

http://goo.gl/ztnMy (KTVX)

Girl Scouts, high school students reseed Rosecrest Fire burn scar

HERRIMAN — Volunteers from all around the Salt Lake Valley gathered to help reseed the Rosecrest Fire burn scar Saturday morning to help prevent property damage from potential mudslides and debris flow.
“We have approximately 450 volunteers,” Nicole Martin, a spokeswoman for Herriman City said. “They will head up on the mountain, get a 20 pound bag of seed and they have their assigned area, and they’ll throw the seed in there and we’ll start to see the work happen.”
Herriman City and Salt Lake County coordinated with The Natural Resources Conservations Service to fun the seeding efforts. The NRCS covered 75 percent of the $150,000 cost of reseeding the burn area. Salt Lake County and Herriman City funded the remaining balance.
The Rosecrest Fire burned 611 acres from June 29 to July 2 and caused an overnight evacuation for residents near the area. About 400 acres were reseeded Saturday.
“Really, once a fire starts, even before it’s contained, you are thinking about the mitigation of the soil right after that,” Martin said. “Today we need to get the seed in the ground so it can start to grow and hold that soil in place because the last thing that we want is any more property damage.”
Families, friends, the Herriman High School football team and youth groups were among those to help reseed by spreading 20 pound bags of seed each in the burn scar Saturday.
http://goo.gl/tMJLL (KSL)

http://goo.gl/myi1M (KSTU)

Alpine district, American Fork disagree over sidewalk funds

AMERICAN FORK — The good news is that there’s a nice new sidewalk on the east side of Shelley Elementary School on 100 West in American Fork. It is complete with curb and gutter, retaining wall and fence.
The bad news is that who pays for what hasn’t been resolved.
It started out as a $100,000 project, with Alpine School District and American Fork City each paying half. The total price tag now looks like $180,404, after a discount from the contractor, and school district officials have indicated they are putting in $82,500. American Fork has paid the contractor, Concrete-Concrete and Mayor J.H. Hadfield has indicated he intends to bill the school district for the rest.
On Friday, city administrator Craig Whitehead said negotiations would be in the works.
http://goo.gl/qR5Ia (PDH)

U.S. Senator calls for action against chemicals in school supplies

A member of the U.S. Senate is calling for immediate action to deal with school supplies that may contain toxic chemicals.
Many kids around Utah are heading back to school Monday morning. The warning comes from the Center for Health, Environment and Justice’s Green School Campaign and the Empire State Consumer Project.
According to the report, 75 percent of the back to school supplies tested contained an elevated amount of a toxic chemical known as phthalates.
http://goo.gl/ZeFJB (KSTU)

See which state’s students are the most prepared for college

Nowadays it’s nearly necessary to have a college degree, especially when employment growth for people without a degree is negative 14 percent. In contrast, employment growth for those who go on to receive a bachelor’s degree is 82 percent. But are graduating seniors ready for college? ACT, Inc., the company that issues the ACT standardized test, released it’s report on “The Condition of College & Career Readiness” for 2012. The study measures a readiness by comparing ACT test scores with grades received by students in their first-year college classes. ACT has four benchmarks: English, Mathematics, Reading and Science. The following is a ranking of each state based on the percent of students who met all four benchmarks.
http://goo.gl/dSGyi (DN)

From the Web: Creationism is not appropriate for children

You or your kids may remember Bill Nye best for his television series, “Bill Nye the Science Guy.” The famed scientist and TV personality recently released a YouTube video for Big Think criticizing the Creationism theory.
Nye says evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, and rejecting evolution is like trying to study geology without believing in tectonic plates.
“You’re just not going to get the right answer,” he explains.
http://goo.gl/afc5z (PDH)

Utah petroleum firms gives to charity

The Utah Petroleum Association, a nonprofit trade organization that seeks to promote the oil and gas industry, raised $30,000 for local charities by bringing together members of the energy industry during its second annual Charity Golf Classic held at Mountain Dell Golf Course.
The event, which attracted more than 300 golfers, was sponsored by Newfield Exploration, Anadarko Petroleum, HollyFrontier, Big West Oil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Silver Eagle Refining, Tesoro and XTO Energy.
The charities chosen to receive the money raised include United Way of Salt Lake, the Davis Education Foundation, the Uintah & Daggett Children’s Justice Center, Family Connection Center, Bountiful Food Pantry and the University of Utah Burn Center.
http://goo.gl/EWHpb

UUC plans clothing, school supply swap

OGDEN — The community is invited to a Northern Utah clothes and school supply swap to be held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 4.
Participants are invited to bring their extra clothing that doesn’t fit or that they no longer want to wear.
Also, extra school supplies such as backpacks, calculators and crayons will be accepted for exchange.
http://goo.gl/STBuv (OSE)

5,600 back-to-school items to children at shelter

SALT LAKE CITY — Children at the Road Home shelter in Salt Lake City have new clothing and school supplies in time for the first day of class.
During the Road Home Apple Tree Campaign, apple trees with paper apples featuring specific children’s needs were set up during July and early August at various businesses, including DownEast, Payless ShoeSource, Salt Lake area Staples, Sanctuary Day Spa and Intrepid. Participants selected apples and purchased needed back-to-school items for the children listed.
During the four-week campaign, more than 5,600 items were collected for school-aged children living at the shelter.
http://goo.gl/EB1on (KSL)

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OPINION & COMMENTARY
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Dual languages
(St. George) Spectrum editorial

Some people don’t like the idea of being out and about in Southern Utah and coming across people speaking a language other than English. It’s easy to understand the frustration, as though the people in the conversation are keeping secrets from those of us who only speak the Americanized English we’re taught from the time we’re toddlers.
But change that scenario from waiting in line at a restaurant to a boardroom or in another business center in which orders for goods and services are being negotiated. Suddenly, hearing the Spanish or Chinese languages aren’t offensive. They make sense because of the context of international commerce.
It is this second scenario that is at the heart of dual-immersion programs in area schools. The programs involve students spending part of the day learning in English and another part of the day learning in either Spanish or Chinese.
http://goo.gl/kQwuG

Thumbs up, thumbs down
(Ogden) Standard-Examiner editorial

Thumbs up: To Catholic Community Services, several businesses and private donors who partnered to provide help for families with kids preparing for the new school year. Backpacks, clothing, school supplies and haircut vouchers were among donations provided to needy families.
http://goo.gl/4jb3B

Beehives and Buffalo Chips
(Provo) Daily Herald editorial

Beehive to Liz Evans and her sister-in-law Liz Evans for inspiring others through their blog to sew skirts for girls in foster care so that the adolescents can start their school year on a fashionable note. After deciding they wanted to give back to the community, both Evanses selected the Foster Care Foundation as their cause. After they surpassed their goal of 100 donated skirts, other bloggers and readers jumped on board. There’s no skirting the wave of goodwill.
http://goo.gl/XtskD

How about schools for new jobs
Deseret News commentary by columnist John Florez

If the old jobs are not coming back, where are the new jobs? Is Granite School District on to something?
The new economy requires companies that can deliver a quality, customized and timely product. It’s estimated 65 percent of the new jobs will not require a college education but will require higher skills. According to Robert Reich, former Labor secretary, “Manufacturing is coming back to America. As wages rise in China and decline in the United States, and as producers see advantages in being close to American customers, more stuff is being made here.” Granite District leaders may be leading the wave of change.
Three years ago, Granite school leaders had the vision of preparing students for industries of the future and launched the BioInnovations Gateway, or BiG, with USTAR (Utah Science Technology and Research) as an incubator for startup medical and biotech companies along with Salt Lake Community College. BiG has been successful in demonstrating how students can best learn in a real work environment that ties in the world of work and the world of school.
http://goo.gl/k6Oud

New data suggests education pays off
(Ogden) Standard-Examiner commentary by columnist Ron Campbell

In a new publication from the Department of Workforce Services, Local Insights, and their traditional Trendlines publication, recent articles reported on numerous studies regarding educational achievement levels, salaries and unemployment rates.
While there are no surprises in the findings of these studies regarding the strong correlation between higher education and higher salaries, there are other correlations that were enlightening, and even somewhat surprising.
In addition to confirming the adage that “education pays,” the findings of these studies also show that the higher the education level, the lower the unemployment rate.
http://goo.gl/9QNqT

Indiana education voucher experiment: year two begins Deseret News commentary by columnist Mary McConnell

This is my last post about Indiana’s education reform efforts (for now), and it’s likely to be the most contentious.
This fall marks the second year that low AND middle-income students (one way that Indiana differs from most states experimenting with vouchers) are eligible for vouchers to attend private schools. A few days ago AP ran a fascinating story about how Indiana public schools are responding.
http://goo.gl/9xKj1

The safety 6: Tips for back to elementary school KSL commentary by Guy Bliesner, safety and security administrator for the Bonneville School District in Idaho Falls

SALT LAKE CITY — It is the end of the summer and the long Labor Day weekend is in sight. In the rush of back to school shopping for clothes and school supplies, here are six safety ideas to consider as you send the kids back to the local elementary school.
http://goo.gl/1Srai

LAND Trust fund grows … will charters get a fair piece?
Commentary by Charter Solutions President Lincoln Fillmore

According to the DNews, Utah does a great job managing its LAND Trust funds.
…
“For the bigger districts, the most it would work out to be is $45 per pupil, but in Daggett District, which is really tiny, it works out to be more: $451 a child. Their elementary school in Flaming Gorge has 25 kids,” according to Margaret Bird, the state’s administrator of the program.
Charters for purposes of this program have always been treated like a single school district. But now that charters enroll more than 50,000 students and are nearly the largest “district” in the state, those students are at a growing disadvantage when it comes to LAND Trust money. As charters grow, their funding drops.
http://goo.gl/rAIWX

Harvard-Brookings study finds vouchers increased college enrollment for black students Sutherland Institute commentary by Derek Monson, director of Public Policy

A first-of-its-kind study of a private school voucher program in New York City, published by Harvard University and the Brookings Institution, found “large, statistically significant positive impacts” from the voucher program on college enrollment among African-American children. The researchers reported that “using a voucher to attend private school increased the overall college enrollment rate among African-Americans by 24 percent.”
The study was unique in that it was the first to use a randomized experiment – the gold standard in social science research – to look at how getting a private school voucher impacted college enrollment.
http://goo.gl/xmLhu

Red Meat Radio
KTKK commentary by Rep. Greg Hughes and Sen. Howard Stephenson

Hour 1:
Judi Clark, Parents for Choice in Education http://goo.gl/ovqXk

Seniors and schools
Salt Lake Tribune letter from John Montoya

Where are Grover Norquist, the Occupiers and the tea party people when you need them? According to the Utah Taxpayers Association, six Utah school districts are proposing property tax increases for 2013, ranging from Logan at 0.8 percent to Tooele with a 9.1 percent increase.
Many senior citizens object to increasing their property taxes to fund schools. By 65, we (1) have already paid our fair share of school taxes, (2) most likely no longer get income tax credits for children or dependents, (3) have increased medical expenses, (4) probably don’t have children in school, and (5) most likely are on limited incomes.
For these reasons, there should be a freeze on school tax increases for property owners age 65 and older.
http://goo.gl/H2B0S

Education method encourages love of learning
(Ogden) Standard-Examiner letter from Kelly Crabtree

Ms. Van Vliet’s statement about accredited Montessori is true. Two things she failed to mention were, there are other accredited teacher training associations. Being that I am accredited in the school that Dr. Maria Montessori started herself (Associated Montessori Internationale). I have been teaching for 17 years in the method, and have studied with Dr. Montessori’s granddaughter, I recognize authenticity of the Montessori method. There are quite a few training areas in this world, not just America.
http://goo.gl/FLm1g

Shame on Sky View football coaches
(Logan) Herald Journal letter from Lisa Parkinson

On Wednesday the 22nd I attended the first Mountain Crest vs. Sky View ninth-grade football game. Although I enjoy football, I really don’t know all the rules of the game, so I find myself being more of a people watcher.
As I was watching the boys on both sides make their plays, I observed them helping each other up after a play. Occasionally a few players would even help the opposing team members up. As the boys hurried off the field after a play their teammates would congratulate them, giving them a high-five or a tap on the butt. Usually both teams’ coaches would congratulate the players the same way.
But I saw something that was very disturbing to me. There was a player for Sky View, No. 86, who was playing particularly well throughout the game. I saw him get three touchdowns, and he also caught one in the end zone off a teammate’s fingers (but that one was called back). And each time as that young man walked off the field, not even one of his coaches said a word to him. I thought to myself, Seriously! This kid just got a touchdown for you, and none of you had given this kid the time of day.
http://goo.gl/7G36f

California’s School Head Fake
Sacramento tries to strip student performance from teacher evaluations.
Wall Street Journal editorial

Covering the skulduggery in Sacramento is a full-time job, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up, but we’ll try. The latest example is an education bill that seeks to pre-empt a recent court order requiring that teachers be evaluated in part on student test scores. As always, the unions are getting the last word.
The school reform movement is sweeping the country as even many liberal Democrats seek to unite with parents against the union establishment. The Obama Administration has helped at the margin by making teacher accountability a factor in requests for more federal aid. Half of states now link teacher evaluations with student learning, and another half dozen are moving in that direction. Then there’s California, which is doing a moon-walk on school reform.
http://goo.gl/doXEr

Who Could Be Romney’s Education Secretary?
Education Week commentary by columnist Alyson Klein

With the Republican National Convention about to kick off, it’s officially time to start speculating about who could be presumptive GOP Mitt Romney’s education secretary if he wins the presidential election.
After all, way back in 2008 (Aug. 8, to be exact), Politics K-12 guessed that then-Chicago schools chief Arne Duncan could be then-Democratic contender Barack Obama’s pick on Aug. 8. So we’re actually late to the dance this year.
This time, there’s not a lot of agreement among the Republicans that I polled.
http://goo.gl/LzVSm

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NATIONAL NEWS
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Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 differences on education Christian Science Monitor

President Obama has used back-to-school season to make the case that his education funding and policy initiatives are saving teachers’ jobs, turning around failing public schools, and helping cash-strapped college students. Mitt Romney counters that Mr. Obama has spent too much, and he advocates more school choice and private-sector involvement.
Here is a look at how the two differ on the issue of education.
http://goo.gl/yTiwA

http://goo.gl/YTM0h (Hechinger Report)

http://goo.gl/BKU8B (Reuters)

Making English Part of the Fabric
School Districts Try New Approaches in Teaching Foreign-Language Speakers as Achievement Requirements Get Tougher.
Wall Street Journal

TRACY, Calif.—For years, students with poor English language skills have lagged behind their fluent classmates. Now, this outer suburb of San Francisco with a large Mexican immigrant population is one of many school districts nationwide overhauling their approach to try to close the language gap.
Of the Tracy Unified School District’s 17,530 students, a quarter struggle with English on literacy tests, according to the state Department of Education. In the past, language instruction for those students was crammed into one period, in which instructors taught everyday language skills through rote methods like grammar work sheets.
But starting last year, teachers in all subjects were trained to infuse their classes with literacy lessons. Many English learners still take a daily language-development class, but those classes are giving students more oral practice and using nonfiction texts to teach students to use more academic language in writing and conversations.
http://goo.gl/yvY5b

Groups Form Task Force to Sway Teacher-Prep Rules Education Week

Concerns over teacher-preparation regulations that the U.S. Department of Education is crafting have spurred several higher education lobbies to join forces—a sign that the issue is rising on the agenda of college officials.
Individuals from the groups formerly met on an informal, ad hoc basis, but they recently created a “higher education task force on teacher preparation.” It has crafted two documents—one detailing concerns with the federal rules, and another outlining its own principles for evaluating teacher-training programs.
The task force includes representatives from the influential American Council on Education and several other associations representing public, private, and religious colleges.
http://goo.gl/bFE3n

Web class on a snow day? Only for some
Schools can use ‘eDays’ to avoid extending year; Should more schools take advantage of ‘eDays’?
Columbus (OH) Dispatch

Snow days will be free days for most Ohio students this school year, despite a state law that could turn some of them into days of online class.
Only a few central Ohio school districts submitted the paperwork that lets them use a 2-year-old law allowing them to hold classes online up to three days a year. Those days would count as full school days.
Schools lobbied for the law so that, once they use up their five so-called “calamity days,” they can avoid adding days to the end of the year.
But this year, only about 120 of Ohio’s 614 districts applied to use the online lessons. That’s 20 more than last school year.
http://goo.gl/KjtzG

These Days, It’s Back to School, Then Shopping New York Times

Samantha Paradise is starting eighth grade in Manhattan next week, but she won’t be decked out in all new gear on the first day.
At 13, Samantha doesn’t want to be stuck with untrendy items, so she will wait to see if the Superga sneakers that were cool at summer camp are still in fashion, and whether her classmates choose JanSport backpacks or revive the Longchamp and LeSportsac bags from last year. “I don’t want to be the only one wearing a different kind of backpack,” she said.
In a shift that is upending retailers’ plans, many children, teenagers and their parents are delaying their school purchases. A desire to get the trends right accounts for some of the hesitation. But retailers and analysts say the sluggish economy and unusually hot weather have also made for a surprisingly slow start to the back-to-school spending season, one that was expected to be the strongest since before the recession.
If people do not go to stores once schools start, it will be bad news for an economy heavily dependent on consumer spending to stay afloat. And the postponed spending is complicating how stores stock, promote and sell their back-to-school items, some of which have been on the shelves for almost two months.
http://goo.gl/OdgMW

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CALENDAR
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USOE Calendar
http://tinyurl.com/5x9oh9

UEN News
http://www.uen.org

September 6-7:
Utah State Board of Education meeting
250 E. 500 South, Salt Lake City
http://www.schools.utah.gov/board/Meetings/Agenda.aspx

September 13:
Utah State Charter School Board meeting
250 E. 500 South, Salt Lake City
http://1.usa.gov/Axtt5K

September 18:
Executive Appropriations Interim Committee meeting
1 p.m., 445 State Capitol
http://goo.gl/E0hoC

September 19:
Education Interim Committee meeting
2 p.m., 30 House Building
http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Commit.asp?Year=2012&Com=INTEDU

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