Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Clip Report for Sept. 22

Voice of San Diego

September 21, 2009

Bringing Teaching for the Gifted to All Kids

Sandra Ruvalcaba isn't sure if she would have tapped Dominic Satterfield as a gifted child before. His reading was a little weak and he struggled with writing last year at Cabrillo Elementary in Point Loma. But when the teacher began to use strategies for gifted children with all of her students, Dominic suddenly seemed to stand out. He flourished.

 

North County Times

September 21, 2009

OCEANSIDE: Principal charged with grand theft

An Oceanside elementary school principal has been charged with nine felony counts of grand theft, authorities said Friday. The principal, Paulette Thompson, will be arraigned Tuesday on those nine counts and an additional felony related to improper use of personal identification information, said Steve Walker, deputy communications manager for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. The charges were filed Aug. 28.

 

Voice of San Diego

September 18, 2009

Schoobrary Nonprofit Being Discussed

More news of the schoobrary: An education consultant is informally talking with the San Diego Library Foundation about creating a nonprofit that would run a charter school in the downtown library.

 

School Districts Floats List of Favored Zip Codes

San Diego Unified has drafted a list of high poverty zip codes whose residents will be considered first when construction companies hire workers under the district's $2.1 billion facilities bond.

 

KPBS-FM

September 18, 2009

In San Diego Unified, Are Adults the Problem?

SAN DIEGO ��� Today is the last day San Diego Unified School Superintendent Terry Grier will be working at district headquarters.

 

Voice of San Diego

September 17, 2009

Scripps Snags Fed Money for Science Ed

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography on Wednesday announced a new program that will put Scripps grad students in San Diego Unified middle and high school classrooms in an effort to bridge the science education gap.

 

'Let's Not Let This Opportunity Get Bogged Down'

San Diego Unified school board members Shelia Jackson and Richard Barrera are arguing that the school district has done enough to be eligible for a second batch of federal stimulus money, even if it does not follow Obama Administration requirements for winners to link teacher evaluations to test scores.

 

Feds: Online Classes Don't Always Need Teachers

San Diego Unified may have taken unnecessary steps to meet the No Child Left Behind rules on qualified teachers in its credit recovery program by assigning employees who never interacted with the students to be their official teachers, according to advice given by the U.S. Department of Education about the federal rules.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

September 17, 2009

PTA drive targets parental involvement

SAN DIEGO ��� When the California PTA asked parents what one thing they would change about schools, the answer included a wish list of art and music education, additional books and an infusion of cash.

 

La Jolla Light

Sepember 16, 2009

Muirlands field project to start soon

An effort to raise $1.1 million to construct a new, synthetic turf field at Muirlands Middle School to serve a multisports complex to include La Jolla High has succeeded.

 

Voice of San Diego

September 16, 2009

Have Diploma, Can't Apply to College

Counselor Frank Zavala tries to break the news to high schoolers gently, but sometimes it's just too late. There's no way they can rack up the classes they need to even apply to the University of California system or the California State schools.

 

KPBS-TV

September 15, 2009

School Foundations Create Gap In Education Funding

JOANNE FARYON (host): Hello Everyone, I���m Joanne Faryon. Welcome to this Envision special ��� Education and the Million Dollar Bake Sale. Let���s begin with a quiz. How many students in your kids��� classroom? 20, 30, close to 40? It���s probably more than last year.

 

Voice of San Diego

September 15, 2009

Point Loma Weighs Idea of Going Charter

Parents are weighing the idea of splitting Correia Middle and other Point Loma schools from San Diego Unified as independent charter schools, which would free them to handle their own budgets, staffing and curriculum. The idea was tossed around at a parent foundation meeting in Point Loma, where parents and principals said they were weary of the nonstop turnover at the school district.

Clip Report for September 16

San Diego Union-Tribune

September 16, 2009

S.D. school district seeks vision first, then leader

SAN DIEGO — In the days since Superintendent Terry Grier resigned, at least 25 leaders from education, the military, business and nonprofits have sent their resumes to the San Diego Unified School District in hopes of becoming the next chief educator. But the school board would be lucky to launch its job hunt before the new year, board President Shelia Jackson said yesterday.

 

KPBS-FM

September 16, 2009

Teaching Cutting-Edge Science in San Diego Classrooms

SAN DIEGO — UC San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District are working together to broaden the teaching of science. The goal is to provide hands-on science training to help educate the next generation of environmental leaders.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

September 16, 2009

Test score conundrum

State and federal academic report cards tell conflicting tales

Spreckels Elementary School in University City has a state academic rating that is soaring. It's in the top third of all local schools in test scores. But based on the same data, the federal government sees a school failing to make the grade. It is ordering Spreckels to offer students the choice to attend another school and to pay for buses to get them there.

 

KPBS-FM

September 15, 2009

Education Special: Lincoln High's Rebirth

MAUREEN CAVANAUGH (Host): That's President Barack Obama from his speech last week to students across the nation. I'm Maureen Cavanaugh. You're listening to a special These Days broadcast from the campus of Lincoln High School in southeast San Diego. KPBS-TV specials: "Lincoln High Offers Student Second Chance" and "Lincoln High School Celebrates Third Year on New Campus."

 

Voice of San Diego

September 15, 2009

Test Scores Fall Short of Federal Standard

Despite widespread gains in test scores, San Diego Unified failed to meet the rising bar of No Child Left Behind, the federal law that sets targets for annual improvement in schools.

 

Point Loma Weighs Idea of Going Charter

Parents are weighing the idea of splitting Correia Middle and other Point Loma schools from San Diego Unified as independent charter schools, which would free them to handle their own budgets, staffing and curriculum. The idea was tossed around at a parent foundation meeting in Point Loma, where parents and principals said they were weary of the nonstop turnover at the school district.

 

SDNN.com

September 15, 2009

Three SDUSD schools honored by Dept. of Education

Three San Diego Unified School District schools have been honored by the U.S. Department of Education as Blue Ribbon Schools for showing dramatic gains in student achievement despite serving students from primarily low-income families, state education officials announced today.

 

KPBS-TV

September 15, 2009

School Foundations Create Gap In Education Funding

Welcome to this Envision special – Education and the Million Dollar Bake Sale. LetÕs begin with a quiz. How many students in your kidsÕ classroom? 20, 30, close to 40? ItÕs probably more than last year. ThatÕs because education took a $12 billion budget cut - the largest in years. Tonight, weÕll hear what CaliforniaÕs State Superintendant of Education has to say about our schools and funding. And weÕll meet a long time principal whoÕs hoping a new campus can help turn around his school. But first, we take a look at how public education is being influenced by private fundraising. These days, parents are raising millions of dollars for their schools - enough to pay for computers, textbooks, even teachers. Meanwhile schools in poor neighborhoods are barely getting by.

 

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Clip Report for September 12

San Diego Union-Tribune
September 11, 2009
Trustees in no rush to hire new leader | Senior administrator to assume interim post
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/12/trustees-no-rush-hire-new-leader/?education&zIndex=164591

Voice of San Diego
September 11, 2009
A Familiar Face Steps in as School Chief
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/09/11/education/schooled/602kowba091109.txt

School Board Airs Idea of Open Superintendent Search
http://voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/09/11/education/schooled/601open091109.txt

KUSI-TV
September 11, 2009
Kowba Appointed Interim Superintendent
http://www.kusi.com/home/59083362.html?video=YHI&t=a
http://www.kusi.com/home/59083362.html

KGTV
September 11, 2009
SD Unified Names Interim Superintendent
http://www.10news.com/news/20852094/detail.html

KFMB-AM
September 11, 2009
Kowba named interim SDUSD superintendent
http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=11117680

KPBS-FM
September 11, 2009
Superintendent Selection to be an Open Process
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/sep/11/superintendent-selection-be-open-process/

Opinion

San Diego Reader website
September 11, 2009
Saying Goodbye To Grier
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/memorial-life/2009/sep/11/say-goodbye-to-grier/

San Diego Union-Tribune
September 11, 2009
State law? Bah! | Post-Grier school board off to a weak start
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/sep/12/state-law-bah/?uniontrib


Jack Brandais
Media Relations
San Diego Unified School District
(619) 725-5570 (desk)
(619) 607-0477 (cell)

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Clip Report for Sept. 10

San Diego Union-Tribune

September 10, 2009

Administrators look to union for backup | School officials cite change as concern

SAN DIEGO — When it comes to school labor issues in San Diego, it's the teachers union that makes headlines. But another group of educators — namely principals and vice principals — has quietly been organizing to form its own union in the San Diego Unified School District.

 

Navy Compass

September 10, 2009

Unique Educational Fair Increases Family Readiness in San Diego

The Navy School Liaison Program in association with the San Diego Unified School District held their first Back-2-School Resource Fair and Enrollment Event Aug. 20 at Jean Farb Middle School, located in the Murphy Canyon military housing area in San Diego.

 

SDNN.Com/City News Services

September 10, 2009

Houston school officials meet to formalize hiring of Terry Grier

The board of the Houston Independent School District is scheduled to meet Thursday to formalize its decision to hire San Diego Unified Superintendent Terry Grier as its schools chief. Grier was the boardÕs only choice for the superintendent job in Houston. Also covered by KNSD-TV, San Diego Union-Tribune, Voice of San Diego, Houston Chronicle.

 

KPBS-FM

September 10, 2009

Local Schools Prepare for Swine Flu Season

SAN DIEGO — Most of San Diego County's school children this week began an academic year that will pose the challenge of dealing with swine flu. Kids who attend San Diego's Language Academy Elementary School chattered excitedly outside the school building after the first day of classes came to an end. Parents waited to pick them up in a line of cars that slowly snaked along 64th street. One mom, Christa Carey, said she's not worried about swine flu.

 

Voice of San Diego

September 10, 2009

How Others Handle Online Teaching

San Diego Unified is not the only district to grapple with reconciling No Child Left Behind with online classes. Others have found ways to do it.

 

September 9, 2009

A New Way of Teaching Collides with Old Rules

Cesar Alcantar gave grades to more than 500 struggling high schoolers last year, yet he never met any of them. He is one of a handful of San Diego Unified employees who were listed as teachers for online classes last year, even though they seldom interacted with students and never taught lessons. Computers and tutors did the teaching for them. They checked that students' grades matched their scores on tests.

 

Opinion

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

September 10, 2009

Editorial: A mole hill | A lesson from Obama's speech to studentsIt turned out to be a tempest in a lunchbox. President Barack Obama's back-to-school message to the nation's students, which stirred up so much controversy ahead of time, amounted to little more than a feel-good, inspirational address that told students to study hard, stay in school and get serious about succeeding. See also Letters to the Editor.

 

Voice of San Diego

September 9, 2009

Letter: More in Favor of Decentralizing the Schools

I am the parent of three elementary school children who attend Torrey Pines Elementary School. I have also been a teacher in the SDUSD for fifteen years. I am very much in favor of decentralizing the schools in the San Diego City Schools. In this time of budget deficit, this idea makes the most sense. I have seen an incredible amount of waste in the last fifteen years and I am tired of a district that hinders the teaching and learning in the classroom. The district offices should be scaled back to a bare bones operation and employ only those people that are absolutely necessary to do paperwork, etc.

 

 

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Clip Report for September 9

City News Service via SDNN.com

September 9, 2009

SD Unified School District unveils new Web site

A cleaner and less complicated San Diego Unified School District Web site is available for public use Wednesday. The new site, launched late Tuesday night, replaced an older system that Bernie Rhinerson, the chief district relations officer, called Òhuge and outdated.Ó Also carred by SanDiego6.com.

 

La Jolla Light

September 9, 2009

LJES changes surprise students, parents

When school started on Tuesday, the hundreds of students and parents entering La Jolla Elementary School (LJES) probably did a double take.

 

Students realize dream of Mormon Club at LJHS

When Christie Richmond, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons), was in eighth grade, she found herself constantly explaining why her beliefs were different from everyone else's.

 

Voice of San Diego

September 9, 2009

Grier: It Ain't Over Yet

Houston schools had to wait three weeks before officially offering their superintendent's job to Terry Grier, the current superintendent of San Diego Unified. That wait is scheduled to end Thursday. But Grier said that doesn't mean he'll automatically sign a contract with Houston this week.

 

School Board Balks at Peer Tutoring Class

The San Diego Unified school board balked at letting a school add a class in which students tutor other children with special needs, worrying that it might not be a real, academically rigorous class.

 

September 8, 2009

School's Back In

I spent a few hours out at San Diego Unified's Marston Middle School in Clairemont this morning to get a sense of how the first day of school is unfolding. I've got some ideas for future stories -- no spilling the beans yet -- but here are some little things worth noting.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

September 9, 2009

Obama's advice: study hard

After all of the national uproar about President Barack Obama's back-to-school speech, San Marcos eighth-grader Jennifer Morales distilled his message into a simple statement: There's no excuse for not working hard in school.

 

KPBS-FM

September 8, 2009

These Days: Challenging Year Begins for Many Local Schools

MAUREEN CAVANAUGH: I'm Maureen Cavanaugh, and you're listening to These Days on KPBS. Most local educators would agree that we are beginning a challenging school year in San Diego.

 

San Diego Union-Tribune

September 8, 2009

Wave of reassignments marks new school year

SAN DIEGO — Back-to-school jitters are alive and well at Scripps Ranch High School. But this year, it's not just the freshmen who are worried about fitting in, making new friends and navigating an unfamiliar campus.

 

KUSI-TV

September 8, 2009

Morning News live at Barnard Elementary School

 

KSWB-TV

September 8, 2009

Morning News live at Roosevelt Middle School

 

KGTV-10

September 8, 2009

Local Students React To Obama's Education Speech

10News visited a Lemon Grove school to get their reaction to President Obama's speech on education.

 

KGTV-10

September 8, 2009

Schools Turn To Possible Sponsorships To Fund Activities

School districts around California are getting creative when it comes to reeling in funding for activities

 

KUSI-TV

September 7, 2009

School Board President Shelia Jackson on Morning News

 

KFMB-TV Ch. 8

Septeber 4, 2009

Local parents can opt out of Obama's school address

School kids in San Diego and across the nation are getting caught up in what's becoming a political firestorm. Even though school hasn't started in the San Diego Unified School District just yet, the office operators have been busy fielding calls from some parent who want their students to be excused from viewing the president's speech, which just happens to fall on the first day of school.

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