ED Announces Student Video Contest About Student Responsibility

ED Announces Student Video Contest

Students submit videos by November 2.

"Students share responsibility for their education and for fulfilling their dreams," said Duncan. "This video contest is an opportunity for young people to share their stories about where their education and career training can take them. At the same time, I encourage parents, schools, and communities to play a strong role in their stories by being accountable for forming stronger partnerships that guide students to their goals."

This is great. It would be neat for the students who use Penda (formerly SAM Learning) to submit their views. Penda is focused on student-driven learning and has been promoting this concept of "taking responsibility" for years.

Free Webinar on ARRA Funding for ELL

Educators seeking more information about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds for English language learner (ELL) materials are invited to a free Webinar on September 30 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. Hosted by Ballard & Tighe, Publishers (www.ballard-tighe.com), guest speaker Dr. Jennifer House, a former school administrator and expert in K-12 education, will discuss the ARRA program and how it applies to ELL materials.

Register at: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/339617514
Title: How to Use Your Stimulus Funds to Better Serve ELLs
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PDT

Charter Schools Pass Key Test in Study

From the Wall Street Journal... I like this researcher's thinking. If someone criticizes research, go back and rework it so it addresses the very faults they raised!

Charter Schools Pass Key Test in Study
By JOHN HECHINGER and IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN
Wall Street Journal
September 22, 2009

An excerpt from the article:

Critics of charter schools have long argued that any higher test scores were not necessarily attributable to anything the schools were doing, but to the students themselves, on the premise that only the most motivated students and families elected charters. Ms. Hoxby's study sought to address that argument by comparing students who attend charters directly with similarly motivated students -- those who sought to attend charters but were denied a seat through a random lottery. She concluded the charters did have a positive effect.

Link to article (only live for 7 days) http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2FSB125358513141729871-email.html&nonsubURI=%2Farticle_email%2FSB125358513141729871-lMyQjAxMDI5NTIzMzUyODM1Wj.html

Study Buddy Earns Five-Star Review

Naples, Florida-- Sept. 16, 2009 -- The Study Buddy personalized learning device from Brainchild (http://www.brainchild.com/) earned a five-star review from a noted education magazine this week. Multimedia & Internet @ Schools magazine gave the handheld Study Buddy its highest rating and applauded the Study Buddy’s ease of use and ability to fit varied school settings including in-class lessons, individual tutoring, group learning and some ESL situations.

Read the release on Business Wire

Sacramento Business Journal - ECO:LOGIC Engineering Helps Secure Stimulus funds

Rocklin firm helps secure stimulus funding for wastewater treatment plant

Published: September 4, 2009

Rocklin consulting engineering firm ECO:LOGIC helped secure federal economic stimulus funding that will pay for a new wastewater treatment plant the city of Live Oak needs to stay in compliance with its wastewater discharge permits issued by the California Water Resources Control Board.

To continue reading, go to: http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/08/31/daily94.html?surround=etf&ana=e_article

Ballard & Tighe Encourages Online Discussion About English Language Instruction

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The rapid-fire conversation about English language instruction is diverse and far-reaching so Ballard & Tighe, Publishers (www.ballard-tighe.com) today announced the launch of social networking sites to encourage the discourse.

LinkedIn profile: Ballard & Tighe

Facebook profile: Ballard & Tighe

Blog: http://www.ballardtighe.blogspot.com/

Read the full release on BusinessWire

ECO:LOGIC Secures $16 Million in Stimulus Funds for CA Wastewater Treatment Plant

ROCKLIN, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The infrastructure funding experts at ECO:LOGIC Engineering (www.ecologic-eng.com) secured a critical funding package from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 for the City of Live Oak in California. The stimulus funding agreement, which includes a $10 million grant—the maximum amount possible—and a $6 million low-interest loan, will offset the cost to build a new wastewater treatment facility for Live Oak (www.liveoakcity.org).

In the last 2 years, ECO:LOGIC has secured $28 million in grants and $71 million in low-interest loans for small disadvantaged communities in California including Live Oak, which is the fourth biggest stimulus project in the Sacramento region. Other awards include $10.5 million for the San Andreas Sanitary District’s new wastewater treatment plant and a $2 million grant plus a $32.98 million low-interest loan for the Merced wastewater treatment plant.

Read the rest of the press release at BusinessWire