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

Race to the Top Funds -- Rigorous Criteria

Education Week publishes another excellent article about federal funding. My thought in the first few paragraphs was, there goes California's chances... Lo and behold, who is expected to be left out? California and New York.

Education Week: Rich Prize, Restrictive Guidelines

Since school has started and my second grader is crammed into a very full class, I would sure like to see some extra monies come our way to help out. Yet, I expect that even extra money wouldn't solve the current problems. A father on my son's soccer team is ready to pull his son out of school altogether because he was placed in a first/second grade combination class with the same teacher he had for first grade last year. He launched off in a tirade about the district's incompetence. I shook my head sadly...he has no idea that the problem is so complex. He is only blaming the one "entity" he sees in front of him, our little school.

I subtly suggested to him that a good way to help might be to volunteer in class a few hours a month. Can you guess what look he gave me? ...on second thought, maybe he shouldn't be in a classroom...

Jobs for the Future Report: Graduating America

Did you know that there are just 2,000 high schools that produce more than half of the U.S. dropouts? These schools graduate just 2/3rds of their student body. We all recognize that there are pockets of excellence and pockets of discouragement in our school system. There are also tiny gems hidden within the worst situations imaginable.

The education system has yet to find systematic solutions for the "repeat offenders" in part, because there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Reports like this one from the Jobs for the Future foundation help identify the underlying causes and not only fix them but avoid perpetuating them.

WSJ Article - An Apple for Your Teacher (Really about tech funding)

Don't be misled by the title. This article explains the complexities in funding that are hobbling some districts. EETT funds are back but some districts are getting new tech (that is great) but still losing critical things like TEACHERS!

These WSJ links are only live for 7 days but if you want a copy of the article past that time, email me and I'll forward a pdf.

http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052970204900904574304140278264598-email.html&nonsubURI=%2Farticle_email%2FSB10001424052970204900904574304140278264598-lMyQjAxMDA5MDIwMzEyNDMyWj.html

Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2009

By ANNE MARIE CHAKER

It’s shaping up to be a grim year for the Spokane Public School district in Washington state. Like so many others, it is making deep cuts in everything from teaching staff to school supplies this coming school year. But there’s one bright spot for the district: The amount of federal dollars to incorporate technology in the classroom—and to train teachers to use it—is expected to double to about $160,000 from the previous year.

At the same time school districts around the nation are bracing for a round of severe belt-tightening as a result of strained state and local budgets, they’re also getting a significant bump in federal funding to make their classrooms more tech-savvy, which they hope will help improve student performance.

WSJ Article Data-Driven Schools See Rising Scores

From the Wall Street Journal
Data-Driven Schools See Rising Scores

By JOHN HECHINGER

BETHESDA, Md. -- Last fall, high-school senior Duane Wilson started getting D's on assignments in his Advanced Placement history, psychology and literature classes. Like a smoke detector sensing fire, a school computer sounded an alarm.

The Edline system used by the Montgomery County, Md., Public Schools emailed each poor grade to his mother as soon as teachers logged it in. Coretta Brunton, Duane's mother, sat her son down for a stern talk. Duane hit the books and began earning B's. He is headed to Atlanta's Morehouse College in the fall.

Remainder of article at http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2FSB124475338699707579-email.html&nonsubURI=%2Farticle_email%2FSB124475338699707579-lMyQjAxMDI5NDE0MjcxNTIzWj.html

Non-subscribers can read the article for seven more days:

Schwarzenegger's Online Textbook Push

I have been following this story closely not only because I live in California but because I have spent many, many hours working with online textbooks published by Holt. I used to represent Holt McDougal (even as far back as when it was Holt, Rinehart and Winston). With the merger last year, they couldn’t keep me on as a consultant; however, I have remained friends with many of their staff (some of whom are still with Holt and many who are scattered around our industry).

In the eight years of working with Holt, I’ve been privileged to watch the evolution of their online textbooks and often saw resources before their release. I’ve championed the promotion of online textbooks because these digital books are amazing. The integrated tools for teachers will boggle your mind. The appeal to students alone is just cause for committing to them. One of Holt’s social studies texts included interactive maps that let students select years to see, for example, how Napoleon’s empire changed over time. I’ve watched kids listen to audio translations in Spanish or work with interactive notebooks that are monitored by teachers.

This is only the tip of the iceberg…

I realize that transitioning to digital-only textbooks would be difficult. I know we are concerned about marginalizing students. Teachers have my genuine concern when trying to understand how they might manage without hardbound books to pass around. But like all major change, the journey to get “there” while seemingly overwhelming, can be successfully navigated. I have seen what the end result can be and I believe it is worth the painful transition. I applaud Schwarzenegger for pushing this agenda and I am anxious to see how this moves forward.

By the way, would you like a little help with that PR plan, Mr. Governor??