From the perspective of a lifelong educator, I was elated to see that Gov. Jerry Brown's 2013-2014 state budget proposed no cuts to
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I am a mom with a 7th grader and a 9th grader in Public School in Newark, CA. I've found that dealing with school administrators and some teachers through the years come with a great del of frustration. This website is my way of dealing with those frustrations, to document and collect information. My conviction is that most kids in Newark, California and the US deserve better in than what they are currently getting. Public School is supposed to be for KIDS!...ALL kids! My premise is that Public School should not be for administrators and teachers, not even parents and school boards. School should be for kids. School should be safe, stimulating and enriching for all kids; even if their parents are not deeply involved and/or with deep pockets. Reality today is not 'equal opportunity', but Public School should be. Kids have to recite 'equality and justice for all' every day in school; there should be equality in public school; all kids should have a good, well rounded education, Public School should not be divided into good and bad districts, with more or less means. Status quo, is unjust and a threat to true democracy. California hypocrisy: We are the 8th largest economy on Earth - We can not afford giving all children a good education No Child Left Behind - But only kids with parents with means need enrichment like foreign languages, music, art, drama, PE teachers, hands on science... There are established minimum time requirements for P.E. that are ignored. There is a 'Fitness Test' (costing $ 3.5 million), but no money for P.E. specialists. There are "Standards" for the arts in education that are ignored. We have 'Silicon Valley', but no computers in 'poor' schools. 40 years ago, Serrano v. Priest established equity between schools, so how come some kids have music, visual arts, band, foreign languages, while some schools lack everything. The best test of equity is reality. Moral bankruptcy: We can live like this, because it still works for people with means. They will get their kids music, arts, science, computers, one way or another, in their public schools or private schools. The saying is that 'it takes a village' to raise a child, but it is more like 'it takes a well-off school district', or else, as a kid in California, you are out of luck. A society, a state, parents and adults, should have a moral responsibility for all kids. California accepts social injustice in public school with indifference. Parental responsibility: Parents must identify that this is a political problem, it is not a box-top-cutting- sell -Jamba -Juice-get-parents -signed-up-for-script- kind of problem, -that will buy you some copy paper- To get schools back to an acceptable standard and improved, means to prioritize, fund, and reform accordingly. Let us demand the public school system that all children deserve. This site is mainly my personal arguments and collection of sources I've found that support my theses above. You are welcome to share. *************************************************************************************************************************************** http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Fund-schools-based-on-students-needs-4215300.php Fund schools based on students' needsMike HondaPublished 6:49 pm, Tuesday, January 22, 2013based on need. Center for the Next Generation in San Francisco recently has reported that the state's poverty rate has jumped 21 percent since 2008. .......... The sad reality is that the children who need the most resources are often relegated to under-resourced schools that do not provide an adequate education. A huge source of revenue for every school is the local property tax, and schools in impoverished areas have less property-tax revenue than schools in affluent areas. This translates to poorly maintained school facilities, lack of quality educational programs and support services, and less ability to attract and retain quality teachers. ..........Education can be the great equalizer. Currently, it is not. A well-prepared and vibrant 21st century workforce is imperative for maintaining our role as a global economic force, and I applaud Gov. Brown for taking a step toward providing an equitable education for each and every child. Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Fund-schools-based-on-students-needs-4215300.php#ixzz2IqCmafI3 Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Fund-schools-based-on-students-needs-4215300.php#ixzz2IqCdvkVQ Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/openforum/article/Fund-schools-based-on-students-needs-4215300.php#ixzz2IqCVEYSS Working for change: I put up a petition on change.org to end 'Educational Foundations'. To see that as the only way to make I am a mom with two children in the California PUBLIC SCHOOL system. My wish for 2013 is that ‘Educational Foundations’ be a thing of the past. Education is no longer ‘the great equalizer’, because education looks very different in different school districts. Basically Public School is now a In the San Francisco Bay Area it is obvious how the disparate resources of different communities are making PUBLIC SCHOOL into it’s own class In Los Altos, an affluent district, the Educational Foundation (http://laefonline.net/donate) asks for $ 1000 per child per year (tax deductible!), resulting not even a PTA, and consequently, no art, no music, no extra resources. It is not democracy, it is not equality, and it is not fair to the majority of children in California.I don’t want to take anything from any child, but it is not right that children with a rich ‘Educational Foundation’ can have art and music in PUBLIC Without Educational Foundations and different parcel taxes, students would be equal, parents would be equal and equally upset with the under funding I believe that the undoing of Educational Foundations is the fastest way to get all parents to work for all children, and to improve the quality of the
Here is a story from NPR on Jan 8, 2013, about the creme de la creme of Public School varieties, the Bullis-PurissimaElementary Charter School in Los Altos. Their foundation (www.bcsfoundation.com) want an extra $ 5000 per kid to reach an acceptable level of funding, 'donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law' Now how ever there is a war going on between the 'common' Public Schools and the Bullis Charter school, see npr: http://www.kqed.org/news/story/2013/01/08/114105/los_altos_divided_over_charter_schools_search_for_new_home?category=education
You can only wish that is true. Evolve (www.evolve-ca.org) in San Francisco is working to repeal parts of Proposition 13, and close a loophole that lets corporations avoid property taxes, by not owning more than 50% of a property, costing to state billions in tax revenues and ultimately robbing Public Schools of funding. You can sign their petitions on line too.. From Evolve website: Reform Proposition 13to corporations. All this comes at the expense of students, working families, everyday homeowners, and pretty much anybody in California. Proposition 13 has crippled California, decimated our education system, led to government bureaucracy and gridlock, and created massive handout Proposition 13 is unfair
Proposition 13 has decimated our schools
SF article about evolve, Dec 25, 2012/ Prop. 13 revision efforts pick up steamPOLITICS Closing commercial property loophole is drive's goal Joe GarofoliUpdated 8:43 am, Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Excuse my 'rambling' website. I don't have time to organize properly. I mainly keep it to be able to save articles I find interesting. If you are here, browse around and see if you find something useful to you. California needs to find the weak links of the educational chain: Remedial needs at California State University 73 percent 46 percent Sources: California State University; Sally Murphy, Cal State East B
(13/10/11) Look at this video of 94-year-old Stepane Hesssel. Don't know what this has to do with Schools and Newark specifically, and then again, I think it has everything to do with it...) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/july-dec11/outrage_10-11.html School is in session. But what kind of schools are we sending our kids to? State Superintendent Tom Torlaksen has "A Blueprint to Great Schools' (August 9,2011):http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/bp/bpcontents.asp Nowhere do I see mentioned the issue of inequality been rich and poor school districts. I think that trying to ignore this elephant in the room is a fatal flaw. San Francisco Chronicle, June 5,2011 California school funding analysis finds disparitySunday, June 5, 2011 State lawmakers have struggled for decades to bring equality to how school districts are funded, yet some districts receive thousands more per student than others, a California Watch analysis has found. And the data show spending more provides no assurance of academic success. Last year, California schools spent an average of $8,452 to educate each student, a figure that includes money from local, state and federal sources, including one-time stimulus funds. But that average masks enormous differences in spending. The Carmel Unified School District, for example, spent nearly three times as much as the Norris School District in Bakersfield. According to the state's Legislative Analyst's Office, some of the smallest schools in t he Sierra foothills, with just a handful of students, received about $200,000 per student. The differences can be due to funding for special programs that can come from a variety of local, state and federal sources. Put together, that can add up to quite a difference in spending. In a show of bipartisan support to change the way schools are funded, the state Assembly approved legislation last week on a near- unanimous vote. AB18 by Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, D-Santa Monica, seeks a funding formula that would take into account the proportion of disadvantaged students in a school and other factors, such as students' proficiency in English. It now goes to the Senate. As districts struggle with huge budget cuts, an extra few hundred dollars per student can make a significant difference. In a school district like Los Angeles Unified, by far the largest in the state, $500 more per student would yield about an extra $300 million, precisely the amount the district aimed to save when it sent out thousands of layoff notices this spring. More money, however, does not necessarily translate into better learning. The Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, for example, spent much less than the San Bernardino City Unified School District. Yet its Academic Performance Index score, which is based on test scores and other measures, was 862, compared with San Bernardino's 699. 'Money Myth'"Money may be necessary for school improvement, but it doesn't guarantee that improvement takes place," concluded UC Berkeley education Professor W. Norton Grubb in his recent book "The Money Myth." He found that urban schools tended to spend inefficiently for a variety of reasons, including high staff and student turnover and conflicts over how to teach struggling students. At the same time, he said, urban districts often have extra expenses for needs such as security, dropout prevention or for teaching students who are not proficient in English. One of those districts with higher expenses is the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto, where about two-thirds of students are English learners. The district has had to hire three full-time Spanish translators - mainly to translate lengthy special education reports as required by law - and has translators working in the school office, in classrooms and at parent meetings. Ravenswood spends nearly $13,000 per student, yet has cut several programs and may slash two weeks from the next school year, Superintendent Maria De La Vega said. "It is sad, when you look across the freeway and see so many other opportunities" for students there, she said, referring to the Palo Alto Unified School District, which is in a wealthier community on the other side of Highway 101. Last year, financial frustration prompted nine districts, including Alameda Unified School District, and several dozen parents and students to file a lawsuit claiming the funding system is unconstitutional. The suit, Robles-Wong vs. California, is being heard in Alameda County Superior Court along with another suit by the Campaign for Quality Education, which makes similar allegations. 'Fundamental reform'"We are not asking for simply more money," the Campaign for Quality Education lawsuit contends. "We're asking for fundamental reform so that existing and additional funds will be more efficiently spent." What especially galls education leaders in Alameda is that its district receives substantially less money than nearby districts like Berkeley, Oakland and Palo Alto. "There is a huge sense that the system is very inequitable in how it operates," said Patricia Sanders, a middle school math teacher who is also president of the Alameda Education Association, the district's teachers union. "For us not to receive the same amount as other districts near us is like saying, 'We are going to value one child more than another.' " Four decades ago, the California Supreme Court declared the state's system of financing schools unconstitutional. In the 1971 Serrano vs. Priest ruling, the court found that using local property taxes to fund schools resulted in vast differences between a wealthy district like Beverly Hills and a low-income community such as Baldwin Park, which is east of Los Angeles. The Supreme Court ruled that differences in the basic amount spent per student - so-called "revenue limit" funding - had to be within $100 across all districts. Taking inflation into account, the permissible difference is now $350 per student. Although larger differences remain among some districts, disparities in the basic amount districts receive from the state have been substantially reduced. But that reduction has been wiped out by local, state and federal funds for close to a hundred different programs. A large part of the money is based on formulas established in the 1970s for meals, transportation and other services that often have little connection to current student needs. California Watch is a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting. E-mail lfreedberg@californiawatch.org. This article appeared on page D - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/06/04/BARV1JNQO1.DTL#ixzz1OQ0PI75i http://mindshift.kqed.org/2011/06/three-public-schools-a-study-in-contrast/Three Public Schools, 30 Miles Apart: A Study in Contrast Flickr: Seven Depolo As an education reporter, I have seen the entire gamut of schools — but never in a single day. The way my schedule came together yesterday, I ended up visiting three different campuses, each representing a vastly
different picture of the American public school system. Combined, the
visits have all the makings of a Dickens novel: one is a gleaming campus experimenting with cutting-edge ideas, another is an island of relative safety surrounded by a deteriorated neighborhood, and the other is a scrappy, middle-class beacon, pushed to excel by a highly involved parent community. The day started with a visit to Covington Elementary School in Los Altos, an affluent suburb in the heart of Silicon Valley surrounded by scenic hills. The school’s exterior is every parent’s dream: beautifully
landscaped garden beds, wide, open-air hallways, new playground
equipment, and huge windows in the classrooms looking out onto tree-covered hills. Will providing computers for impoverished students help them get to college, or give them a chance at a better life?
I was there to visit one of the classes piloting The Khan Academy
(video-based classroom lessons and tests). It’s a fifth-grade classroom
led by Richard Julian, a bright, engaged teacher in a room full of
bright, engaged kids. Each student had an Apple laptop and used it to
either watch videos or practice math skills. Many of them were already on to trigonometry and calculus-level problems. (I’ll write much more about the pilot program in the coming weeks.) Later in the day, I visited Elmhurst Community Prep, a middle school
in one of Oakland’s rougher neighborhoods. Just outside the perimeter of
the campus, homes have barred windows and huge piles of trash are strewn on lawns covered with empty, overturned shopping carts. Inside the chain-linked fence, students are excited about an end-of-school
event celebrating their accomplishments from an immersive after-school
program. (I was there to interview one of the kids and will write much
more about that, too.) The principal of the school, Laura Robell,
greeted all the students warmly, and welcomed back visitors who’d
graduated. I spoke with her for just a short time, but it was clear that
this was going to be an emotional night for her, seeing students, who
are living difficult lives by anyone’s standards, demonstrate the
projects they’ve completed during the past few months. The day ended with my own daughter’s spring musical concert at Crocker Highlands Elementary, nine miles but a world away from Elmhurst. Playing the piano and leading the group was our elementary school’s PTA-funded music teacher, Miss Rose, a talented and vivacious educator who sneaks in current events and history lessons into the 45 minutes she gets every week with her kids in the tiny, windowless room set aside for music class. (For the record, neither she nor any of the students complain about the room.) Last night’s performance included songs from all over the time spectrum – everything from “California Dreaming” to “New York, New York” to Taio Cruz’s “Dynamite.” Miss Rose’s very presence is a testament to the PTA’s commitment to bringing the arts to a typical, budget-crunched California public school. And although we don’t have a computer for every kid, we do have one for every 10 kids (more or less), another PTA accomplishment. So what does the future look like for these schools? Will providing computers for impoverished students at Elmhurst help them get to college, or give them a chance at a better life? Is an immersive after-school program necessary to keep students engaged in learning for the high-achieving population at the Los Altos elementary school? Can Miss Rose ever be replaced by software? New innovations and teaching techniques and ideas about learning will
materialize (or be repackaged or reconfigured), and they will make an
impact in their own way. But no single solution — not bleeding-edge technology, not laser focus on science and math, not extending the school day, not newfangled assessments — not any one of these
things will be able to address the vastly different needs and
populations of each school. And it’s important to note that each one of
these techniques will continue to morph and change. What we’re witnessing now is just one moment in time. The one common thread I did see was that each school is pushing
itself in its own way to serve kids the best they can with the resources
and the information they have at this moment. And that gives me hope.
It seems the bells are tolling for music at the Newark Junior High according to newark.patch.com (June 1, 2011) Forum this morning: Michael Krazny in conversation with Robert Greenberg (a Bay Area composer,
More than one-third of California teens do not participate in school physical educationCuts to gym classes and student exemptions mean less physical activity for teens
Despite a state requirement that public middle and high school students get 400 minutes of physical education every 10 days, approximately 1.3 million teens — more than a third (38 percent) of all adolescents enrolled in California public schools — do not participate in any school-based physical education classes, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Research has shown that a lack of physical activity is associated with obesity, diabetes and other chronic conditions, while regular physical activity is associated with increased mental alertness and higher academic achievement. Cuts to physical education (PE) programs, as well as exemptions that allow high school students to skip up to two years of PE, have contributed to declining participation in these school-based programs, the brief's authors noted. The study found, for example, that the proportion of teens participating in PE drops precipitously with age, from 95 percent at age 12 to just 23 percent at age 17. Using data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the authors found that only 42 percent of California teens report participating in PE on a daily basis. And more than 80 percent of all teens fail to meet the current federal recommendations for physical activity. "California teens don't get enough exercise," said Dr. Allison Diamant, a faculty associate with the Center and a UCLA associate professor of general internal medicine and health services research, who co-authored the policy brief, Adolescent Physical Education and Physical Activity in California. "Physical activity doesn't just keep the body healthy and prevent diabetes and obesity," Diamant said, "it also feeds the mind. Exercise is an education tool." Diamant noted that PE classes are especially important to urban teens who may lack access to parks or other safe recreational spaces. "Kids need to move more, and PE class is often one of the few safe places to do so," she said. Among the study's findings: Boys exercise more than girls recommendations for physical activity. School PE linked to higher rates of physical activity PE participation varies by county 3.8 days in Madera County. The average number of days that teens engage in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per week ranges from 3.1 days in San Mateo County to 4.7 days in Lake County. The authors recommend maintenance of existing PE classes and increased funding to ensure that all schools meet statewide PE standards. And although they commend recently implemented legislation that requires students to pass five of the six standards of the California Physical Fitness Test before receiving an exemption from PE, they note that it is important for students to maintain physical activity, even if they do meet these standards. "Physical fitness is an intrinsic part of the educational process, not something to be sidelined or avoided," said Dr. Robert K. Ross, M.D., president and CEO of the California Endowment, which funded the study. "Our educators need to understand that physical education is just as essential to a student's academic success as reading, writing and arithmetic." Read the policy brief: Adolescent Physical Education and Physical Activity in California. The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research is one of the nation's leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health-related information on Californians. The California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) is the nation's largest state health survey and one of the largest health surveys in the United States. The California Endowment, a private statewide health foundation, was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians.
California is seriously considering cutting 20 days off the school year if taxes are not extended! When are parents going to wake up to the reality of the state of public schools! Check out the article below. It basically says that the education system is corrupt. Either you are a parent of means , the minority, who can make the system work for you and your kids, or you are part of the big group of parents and kids who are getting an inferior education with inferior prospects for the future. From the Atlantic , June 2011 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/06/the-failure-of-american-schools/8497/
The Failure of American SchoolsWho better to lead an educational revolution than
Joel Klein, the prosecutor who took on the software giant Microsoft? But
in his eight years as chancellor By
Above: Joel Klein in Brooklyn on the first day of school, two months before
he resigned as chancellor Three years ago, in a New York Times article
detailing her bid to become head of the American Federation of Teachers
union, Randi Weingarten
This is a long article, go on line for the rest!
The fiscal crisis - What is the future for California 's public schools if the cuts go through? From Edsource.org:
How many elementary kids get their PE when it rains? If not, how many get a 'raincheck'? From Educate Our State:
Greetings from Educate Our State:
We need to “Wake Up California!” and let everyone know our public schools are facing a major crisis. Many of you are acutely
Please consider hosting or attending a rally in your community. With your help we will be raising awareness of the budget disaster Details:
To News: The Department of Education joined the Albany school district fighting a child and his mom who wanted According to the Department's ‘Physical Education Framework for California Schools’ (2009), PE is of such "Physical education is the only subject area in which schools are required by the state to provide a minimum number of instructional minutes." The Department is fighting kids, the law and its own words. How many elementary school kids are getting PE anyway when it rains?
Albany school district loses PE appealThe State Supreme Court denied an Alameda County school district's appeal Wednesday of a ruling that requires elementary schools in California to provide three hours and 20 minutes of physical education every two weeks.  The suit was filed in 2009 by a third-grade student who claimed, through his lawyer, that the Albany Unified School District was violating his rights under state law by offering only two hours of PE every two weeks. The district, joined by the state Department of Education, argued that the law calling for more exercise time set only nonbinding guidelines for local school
The state's high court unanimously denied review of the district's appeal Wednesday. The ruling was limited to elementary schools but has implications for a similar law requiring twice as much physical education time - six hours and 40 minutes "The Legislature has been very clear about how much physical education they wanted kids to get in school, and some school districts have just ignored those The state's then top education official, Superintendent Jack O'Connell, sent a letter to local districts shortly after the suit was filed saying the 200-minute The district's lawyer and the new state superintendent, Tom Torlakson, were unavailable for comment. The law, which dates from the 1960s, says the elementary school curriculum "shall include" at least 200 minutes of physical education every 10 schooldays, A later statute elaborated on the need for the law by citing studies showing that "the vast majority of children and youth are not physically fit." This story has been corrected since it appeared in print editions. Court: Parents can sue if schools skimp on P.E.Parents can sue if state minimum is not enforcedParents can take their children's public schools to court to force educators to provide the minimum amount of physical education required by state law, the California's education code requires elementary schools to offer 200 minutes of physical education every 10 days, an amount that rises to 400 minutes in Last year, a parent in the Albany school district believed Cornell Elementary wasn't meeting that minimum and sued the district to force it to offer the required physical education, said Donald Driscoll, the parent's attorney. The parent was not identified in the lawsuit to ensure anonymity of the children. "Kids need time to play; they need time to burn off their energy," Driscoll said. "Now there's a mechanism for enforcing the law." The 3-0 appellate court ruling overturned the judge in the Sacramento trial court, who said the state's physical education rule was advisory rather than The appellate court disagreed. "We conclude (the law) means what it says and that, while individual school districts may have discretion as to how to administer their physical education The case now returns to the trial court to determine whether Albany is out of compliance with the requirement. District officials maintain that they are complying, said Michael Pott, an attorney with the Porter Scott firm, which represented Albany Unified in the case. The law does give flexibility in interpreting physical education, which can include health, nutrition and things like teamwork, in addition to active play, The plaintiff's interpretation "was that it needed to be stick and a ball, outdoor running for 200 minutes every 10 days," Pott said. The state Department of Education, which was named as a defendant in the case because of its enforcement role, agreed with the appellate ruling that the "We have always had the view that the minutes are required," said Hilary McLean, a department spokeswoman. "Unfortunately, due to the state budget crisis, The state also requires schools to test children for physical fitness levels every year. In 2009, the most recent results available, about a third of students There is a reason state law emphasizes physical activity - it's key to a child's well-being, Driscoll said. "The law seems clear. The importance of the law seems clear and the school district just hasn't complied," he said. "I hope school districts take notice and ****************************************************************************************************************************************************
I ALERT!!! from www.parentsforgreateducation.org/takeaction URGENT! Take Action - California Schools at Risk! Parents for Great Education will focus on educating the community about Governor Brown's revenue measures/extending the current temporary taxes, and support sound education policy in 2011. We, parents, students and community members who care about quality education and the future of California, need to step up and take action to advocate for adequate education resources. URGENT TIMELINE - Action needed in February for March 1st Deadline. Read below, and Scroll down for Action steps. Current Situation: $18 Billion has already been cut from k-12 education in California in the past three years. With a deficit of $25.4 Billion in he state budget, the Governor has proposed cuts as well as revenues. The Governor's proposed budget, presented Jan. 10th, includes maintaining education funding, contingent on the extension of current temporary taxes (sales, income and vehicle taxes), which would otherwise expire in June 2011 if they are not extended. These taxes currently generate over $8 billion annually. The loss of this revenue would cause billions of dollars of additional cuts to schools state-wide! (approximately $330-$1000 per student at a minimum and possibly much more!) The Governor has asked the Legislature for their support (with a 2/3 vote) by March 1st to put the revenue measures on the ballot and to let the voters decide whether to continue the current temporary taxes. This is NOT an increase! What can you do? 1. Get Informed – The first step in making a difference is to get informed (Read all info here). Please help educate your friends, parents, neighbors, relatives and community members about the budget crisis and its impact on education. 2. Take Action Immediately - Our children are counting on us to advocate for quality education. Here's a list of things you can do to make a difference.
Find your California legislators and their contact information using this zip code search engine. California State Senate: http://www.sen.ca.gov/~newsen/senate.htm California State Assembly: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/default.asp
for more go to the website!www.parentsforgreateducation.org/takeaction ***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_17300075 Schools struggle to measure fitness of students as focus on health growsPosted: 02/04/2011 10:10:30 PM PST Updated: 02/07/2011 05:36:14 PM PST OAKLEY -- Elementary school students here were identified as the most overweight in Contra Costa County when health officials ranked childhood obesity by school district in 2007. When officials updated that ranking last month, Oakley was notably absent, having failed to report any fitness data. Superintendent Rick Rogers has dismissed the state's annual physical fitness assessment -- the main metric public agencies have to measure childhood obesity rates -- as inconsistent and without statistical merit. Rogers isn't alone in questioning the test's value. Health experts, and even those responsible for the test, acknowledge that the results can be unreliable. "At best, it's haphazardly administered, so it's not reliable," said Chris Boynton, director of the Project EAT program in Alameda County. "And it's important because we don't have any idea whether we're making a change in the kids obesity epidemic." Unlike some school districts, the Oakley elementary school district does not train teachers in how to administer the test. "It becomes a matter of time and resources," Rogers said of the test, which measures five fitness benchmarks besides body composition, including the ability to run a mile and do sit-ups. "It tends to be inconstant, and they change it constantly, so the data doesn't match up when you move on to the next year. "That's how the state runs virtually every state testing program." Whether because of flaws in the program or the way it's administered, the state fitness test does not tell a consistent story about childhood obesity in Oakley. Contra Costa Health Services reported in its last health indicators report, issued in 2007, that Oakley had the highest rate of overweight fifth graders in the county, with 44 percent of children failing to meet the state's body-composition criteria. But one year earlier, that rate was just 32 percent, and the year after the report was issued, it fell to 24 percent -- lower than the county average. Project EAT measured obesity levels in several Alameda and Contra Costa school districts over a three-year period, and found that teachers were consistently misreporting rates of overweight children. Boynton's group uses fitness test data for grant applications, but like many anti-obesity organizations, does not deem the figures reliable enough to use in health campaigns. To calculate body composition, most teachers simply weigh students, sometimes with a scale brought from home. This is the least accurate of the three options the state gives test administrators, according to Department of Education Administrator Linda Hooper. The most accurate is to pinch children's arms and legs to measure body fat. More students and parents opt out of the body-composition test than any other part of the fitness assessment, and the state sometimes changes its definition of a healthy weight, making it hard to compare data year-to-year. Health Services number cruncher Jennifer Lifshay, who puts together the organization's indicators report, has reservations about the obesity data but uses them, she says, because "it's the only source we have." Health Services compiles its report by ranking school districts by the percentage of fifth graders who fall outside of the healthy body composition range in the state fitness test. As the state's main source of information about obesity in school-aged children, these statistics get used a lot. The body-composition assessment is the most studied element of the state fitness test by far, according to Hooper. Advocates have used this data to argue on the state Senate floor for school junk food bans and other nutritional standards for students. Fitness test results should be consistent as long as the test is correctly administered, according to Matt Stewart, a West Contra Costa school district athletic director whom child health advocates cite as an expert on the test. Guided by the mantra that "consistency is everything," Stewart retrains his teachers annually to give the fitness test. His district's obesity rates have held remarkably steady over the past decade. The rates in West Contra Costa have been higher than average, reflecting a trend that students from low-income communities are more likely to be overweight. Contra Costa school districts with a high percentage of overweight fifth graders are also home to a higher-than-average proportion of students who qualify for the free lunch program, according to Health Services. Students in the Tri-Valley school districts, which host many fitness initiatives, typically score well on the fitness test. In 2009, fewer than 20 percent of fifth graders in the Dublin, Pleasanton, Castro Valley and San Ramon school districts failed the state's body-composition test. Stewart calls districts like Rogers' that essentially opt out of the test "criminal" because, he says, they show a lack of regard for physical fitness. "For someone to say it's not important to me is just nonsense," he said. "If you cut the test, it takes the credibility away from PE." But Rogers argues that a small, cash-strapped district like his cannot afford to give the test this kind of attention. "Is it our priority to teach students to read, write and do arithmetic," he said, "or to teach kids to do physical fitness?" More than 10 percent of school districts in the state absorbed the budget cuts of the past two years in part by cutting back on physical education, according to a Department of Education survey. Prohibited by law from eliminating physical education completely, districts are reducing the minutes of instruction or assigning gym duties to classroom teachers, both for budget and curriculum reasons. Parents need to take responsibility for their child's fitness, Rogers said. "As my father-in-law always used to say, the best exercise you can do is pushing yourself away from the dinner table." Rogers believes that the state is sending mixed messages by emphasizing standardized testing while at the same time taking away the resources districts might use to implement these assessment programs. He's unlikely to get any extra funding, though. The fitness test program, which costs the state about $3.5 million annually, only narrowly escaped the budget chopping block last fall. Contact Hannah Dreier at 925-779-7174. Follow her at Twitter.com/hdreier. ********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************* The more I learn about the state of education in California, the more With 51% of parents' support, parents have the power to fire inefficient principals PTAs need to unite and do something bigger and more profund than the usual I think we need to unionize in a big way to defend Education in the long run and our This is an example from the City of Alameda: Alamedasos.org (from their website:)  All it takes is more parents making unified demands for quality and equality in education! Nobody is a better advocate for our children than us. We should trust no one else. The bad state of public school has long been undeniable. For me, the catalyst was having a child in school with a bad teacher. It was like starting to pull on a thread, and then you find the whole thing unraveling. I found too much amiss, too many problems, and now I'm wondering how to fix it. Where to begin? It's not just the teacher, the principal, the district, the school board, the department of education... it's the whole chain. I think change is inevitable, hopefully sooner than later. But, my kids are in public school right now, and, as a parent, I want change to happen now! Parents need somewhere to go to find information and be empowered by a group to I feel better already, ********************************************************************************************************** Who we are Alameda Save Our Schools (Alameda SOS) is the campaign organization for the next parcel tax measure for Alameda public schools. We’re currently building the operational infrastructure and raising the funds necessary to execute an effective campaign if and when the Board of Education places a measure on the ballot for March 2011. We hope that everyone who supports a new parcel tax for Alameda schools will volunteer to be part of Alameda SOS. Day-to-day campaign activities will be managed by an Executive Committee and assisted by subcommittees focusing on specific operational areas. The current leadership of Alameda SOS consists of:
The campaign organization will continue taking shape this fall. We’re committed to delivering a clear community message about what’s at stake for Alameda and its schools, communicating frequently and proactively with our volunteers, and being responsive to the great ideas suggested by everyone who wants to be part of this critical campaign effort. We want to hear from you! I think 99% schools need an SOS group and that we together need to make a SOS ************************************************************************************************************* |
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