Plans to Increase Civic Engagement in Public Schools

In relation to our class discussion today about civic engagement, this article talks about getting parents involved within their child's schooling. They say this will help eliminate non-academic barriers to learning, such as poverty and substance abuse. We can see this is obviously an important facet of American governance because federal funds are being allocated for this project and the realization has occurred that people come from all walks of life and it is ultimately one's personal life/actions that create who they are. School districts can be considered social capital because they provide mutual benefit between the students and community. America must work before it loses its social capital.

http://www.salemnews.net/page/content.detail/id/535190/Plans-to-get-parents-involved-in-schools-to-include-other-barriers.html?nav=5007

Michelle Watkins

Obama Meets Apple CEO Jobs in San Francisco to Discuss Education, Energy

President Barack Obama and Apple Inc. Chief Executive OfficerSteve Jobs met today and talked about education, energy policy and ways to create jobs, according to the White House. Obama is scheduled to spend the night in the city before leaving for Los Angeles as part of a campaign swing on behalf of California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer. With less than two weeks until the midterm elections, the president is on the second day of a five-state trip to raise money for Democratic candidates and raise enthusiasm from party supportersA poll released today by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California showed Brown with a 44-36 percent lead among likely voters. Boxer leads Fiorina 43-38 percent in the same poll.Obama and Jobs last met during the 2008 campaign, according to Gibbs.Jobs has supported Democratic candidates and organizations in the past. He donated $50,000 to the DNC in 2000 and $26,700 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006, according to Federal Election Commission records. Jobs also contributed $1,000 to former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel when Emanuel was running for the U.S. House in 2004.

Gates Foundation Offers $20 million in Education Tech Grants

The latest news with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is their announcement to put up as much as $20 million in funding for projects for supporting new technology. This will help with online learning to improve college readiness. This will be one of the first steps in the series of "Next Generation Learning Challenges". The U.S must work to stay ahead of the rest of the world as they are now. We can do nothing and lose our first place spot of superpowers, or we can create programs and work to better the country to stay ahead. The Gates Foundation has noticed the need to stay ahead with our education system. That is where competition is heaviest because once that step is finished you are in the real world competing for jobs with people from all over the world. The Grants-in-Aid tool of government is the basis for this assistance from the Gates Foundation. This financial assistance will be distributed throughout all the state governments to put towards their education sector.

http://voices.allthingsd.com/20101011/gates-foundation-offers-20-million-in-education-tech-grants/

Michelle Watkins

How To Fix Our Schools: A Manifesto

Recent media coverage of the documentary Waiting for Superman and the generous donation of $100 million donation to Newark schools have kept the debate about public education on the back burner. However, Joel Klein, chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, Michelle Rhee, chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools, followed by superintendents, educators, elected officials, labor unions and parents have outlined the public problems within the education system. In their 'manifesto' the main ideas highlighted are ensuring that the best teachers remain hired, regardless of seniority, removing incompetent teachers, giving teachers performance-based financial incentives, improved technology to monitor student’s learning habits, embrace online learning lessons, close underperforming schools, and embracing charter schools. Those involved that fixing the problems within the school system is the long-term fix to our economic problems. Education the youth for a prosperous future is what is most important.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/07/AR2010100705078.html

200 Days Seem to be More Appealing than 180

In Indianapolis, the meetings just began today in hopes of making Indianapolis Public Schools change to a year round schedule. This was the first out of 5 public meetings being held before the decision is made on November 23 of this year. If approved by the school board, the intercessions will begin next August. Many people at the meeting stated that if this problem was solved by approving year round school, children would make better grades and there would be less trouble for them to get into. This issue has been on the agenda for a few years, and finally it is being adressed because many citizens are expressing their want for Education Reform. There are pros and cons to this problem, but the community says they are supporting the School Board with all decisions being made.


http://www.wthr.com/story/13280338/meetings-begin-for-ips-year-round-schedule

Obama Pledges Aid To 2-Year Colleges

On Monday President Barack Obama announced his "Skills for America's Future" initiative. The aim of this is at increasing cohesion between community colleges and industry partners, at a meeting of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board. This initiative will use $2 billion over four years which will be taken from the controversial Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. The plan will create private partnerships and training programs in community colleges nationwide. Since the recession has placed such a burden on state and local budgets, community colleges have been forced to cap enrollments and scarp courses. Obama said, "Not only is that not right--I think it's not smart." A few corporations which Obama said will be participating in this program will include, McDonald's, Dap Inc., Accenture and United Technologies. The goal of this program is 5 million more community college graduates and certificates by 2020. This plan is definitely needed and extremely valuable. Education in America in the past years has declined and unemployment rates are at its peak. This plan could only help both of these crisis issues. Students with lower financial status and who are not able to attend public colleges and have the grades for four year colleges still deserve a chance and a some what equal chance to all other students; this plan will give these students the equal opportunity they deserve. Having 5 million more students with certificates rom 2 year colleges and actually graduated from these colleges is a huge impact from that of just $2 billion.

http://www.lsureveille.com/news/obama-pledges-aid-to-2-year-colleges-1.2354197

Public Schools Face Lawsuit Over Fees

The ACLU of Southern California plans to file suit against 35 California public school districts for charging students for things like using textbooks and sports uniforms, claiming that "the state has failed to protect the right to a free public education" by making it more difficult for poorer students to afford school necessities. This case is the first of its kind, and could potentially encourage similar suits to be filed in other states.

This case applies directly to Chapter 5 in the Birkland textbook. Lawyers have been filing lawsuits to close the quality of education gap between rich and poor students since the 1970's, to little effect. These lawsuits have focused on the amount of funding available, not the actual issue of whether or not public schools are allowed to charge students for activities. Education reform has been an issue on President Obama's agenda, and the by ACLU case putting the issue of education costs into the spotlight, this could provide a window of opportunity for the government to make some major policy changes in the future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/education/10education.html?hpw

-Stephanie Doctrow