Jack O’Connell Bows Out – Quietly

November 13, 2009

When Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco, bowed out of the race for California’s Governor on October 30, the story made the front page in many parts of the state.

At the time, some in the education community wondered if State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell – who had been mulling a run for Governor himself – would get into the race.

This just brings to light how little attention O’Connell received when he quietly ruled himself out as a candidate for Governor in mid-October...

Frustration Increasing as Program Improvement List Grows, Despite Rising Test Scores

September 25, 2009

The disconnect between California’s Academic Performance Index and the Adequate Yearly Progress provisions under the federal No Child Left Behind system is becoming increasingly obvious – and more difficult to explain.

As a result, a deep sense of frustration is building – among principals and superintendents, policy makers in Sacramento, and increasingly the parents of California’s students as well.

The benchmark’s for student proficiency under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) are now ratcheting up...

If One of Your Principals is Diagnosed with H1N1, How Will Your District Handle the News?

August 21, 2009

What does a school district do when a middle school principal comes down with H1N1 flu — just before the first day of school? 

That situation actually occurred in the Woodland Joint Unified School District last week.  Other districts might want to consider how Woodland handled the situation, and think about how they might respond in the same situation, since it’s very likely that many districts will have teachers or administrators diagnosed with cases of H1N1 flu in the weeks ahead, while California health authorities wait for an H1N1 vaccine to become available...

API Demographic Stats, In Addition To Numeric Rankings, Offer Insights Into California

May 29, 2009

Last week, the California Department of Education released the latest batch of Academic Performance Index (API) rankings.  And as usual, print and broadcast media zoomed in on the numbers posted by their local schools and districts.  Headlines like “Wilson School Takes Big Jump in API Score” (Petaluma Argus-Courier), “31% of SD schools rated academic high-performers” (San Diego Union Tribune), and “API scores mixed among Tulare schools” (Visalia Times-Delta) were seen from Calexico to Yreka.

Checking on your neighborhood school’s numeric ranking is an understandable urge...