Green Ribbon Schools
CAPSO encourages all schools to teach and model responsible stewardship of the environment. If your school has taken steps to become "more green," we strongly encourage participation in the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools (GRS) recognition award program. The GRS program, "honors schools that are exemplary in reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, which incorporates science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), civic skills and green career pathways." More information can be found on the California Department of Education's website,
here.
The application process begins with the completion of a short "Snap Survey" that can be completed online,
here. Once your school has taken this step, instructions governing the completion of the full application will be provided, or, directions can be found
here.
Following a thorough evaluation of all applications, one California private school will be nominated to receive the national Green Ribbon School designation. However, thanks to the establishment of a new California recognition program now in its second year,
all applicants achieving an evaluation rating of 55 percent or higher will receive state-level recognition.
If you have questions about the program, please contact the CDE's terrific GRS program director, Lesley Taylor, at
916-322-0310, or via email at:
[email protected]Whole Lotta' Spendin' Goin' On!
[
Update: As this edition of the E-Mailer goes to press, the California Secretary of State website shows that the incumbent, Tom Torlakson, has defeated challenger Marshall Tuck by a margin of 52.1% to 47.9%.]
This year's race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, typically a low-key affair contested in the backwaters of political visibility, generated an unusually generous amount of spending. In fact, more money was spent on this race than any other statewide contest in yesterday's midterm election. As of last week, incumbent Tom Torlakson and challenger Marshall Tuck had raised and spent a combined $24 million to win election to a position that administers, but does not make education policy - a role performed by the State Board of Education. Each candidate raised approximately the same amount.
Mr. Torlakson's primary benefactor was the California Teachers Association, while the bulk of financial support for Mr. Tuck came from an outside group whose donors included such heavy hitters as philanthropist Eli Broad and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. What made the magnitude of such spending the more remarkable is that both candidates were Democrats who view California's public schools as underfunded, support Proposition 30, the new Local Control Funding Formula for the state's public schools championed by Governor Jerry Brown, the implementation of the Common Core State Standards, and the extension of greater control to the local level. Obviously, where the two parted company was regarded as critical by their respective donor bases. An insightful analysis and commentary on what may conceivably have been the crucial difference is provided by
David Menefee-Libey, writing in
EdWeek's "On California" blog,
here.
Mike Antonucci, writing in the Education Intelligence Agency's Communiqu
�, offers this view:
"The California Teachers Association has staked all of its political capital and reputation on Torlakson. Should Tuck defeat him, it would be a signal to California Democrats, particularly down ballot, that it's no longer career suicide to go your own way on education policy. A Torlakson win would not only cement CTA's grip on the state's education system, but would be a warning shot across the bow of any future Tucks, even very well-funded ones."
The
E-Mailer will have more to say about the outcome of the election in its next edition. Meanwhile, for those who may be interested,
EdSource has created a web app tracing the flow of campaign funds to each candidate. You can find it,
here.
Parlez-vous Anglais?
If you're a parent who is currently shouldering the cost of a private school education, chances are you're thinking ahead to the financing of your child's, or children's college education. Given the skyrocketing price tag accompanying a post secondary education, and the staggering level of indebtedness with which many graduates become burdened, the following piece of news may be of considerable interest: A number of other nations offer college and university programs taught in English and available to U.S. students,
at little or no cost.
Yes, you read that correctly. You can learn more from a
Washington Post blog piece authored by Rick Noack,
here. The foreign countries mentioned in the article include Germany, Finland, France, Sweden, Norway, Slovenia and Brazil. Each nation is home to colleges and universities that offer courses of study in English that are open to foreign students meeting admission requirements, for little or no tuition and accompanying fees.
In Germany, the article notes, "About
900 undergraduate or graduate degrees are offered exclusively in English, with courses ranging from engineering to social sciences. For some German degrees, one need not even formally apply." In Sweden, Ph.D. programs are tuition free. Many French universities charge tuition on a sliding scale basis linked to familial income. One does, however, need to provide for one's own living expenses.
C'est la vie!
Do as I Say, Not as I Do
Teachers are more likely to enroll their own children in private schools than the public at large, yet are far less likely to support school choice policies that would extend the same opportunities to others. So suggest the findings of a
recent survey conducted by
Education Next's Program on Education Policy and Governance.
When asked to identify the kinds of schools their own children have attended, 19 percent of teacher respondents indicated that their offspring had attended a private school, compared to just 14 percent of the public. Yet, when asked if they would support "a tax credit for individual and corporate donations that pay for scholarships to help low-income parents send their children to private schools," only 37 percent of teachers expressed support for such an arrangement, compared to 60 percent of the public. Among other respondent groups, 60 percent of African-Americans, and 70 percent of Hispanics indicated support for such a tax-credit arrangement.
Interestingly, a slightly
higher percentage of teachers (38 percent) expressed support for a school voucher arrangement (although the word 'voucher' did not appear in the question), compared to 50 percent of the public, 59 percent of African-Americans, and 58 percent of Hispanics. Significantly fewer teachers, however, indicated support for a voucher arrangement whose benefits would be restricted to low-income students, with 18 percent expressing support for such a plan compared to 37 percent of the public, 47 percent of African-Americans, and 55 percent of Hispanics.
Teacher approval increased substantially (to 33 percent) when the criterion for receipt of what amounts to a voucher changed from income to enrollment in failing public schools. By comparison, 51 percent of respondents representing the public indicated support for such a policy, as did 65 percent of African-Americans and 54 percent of Hispanics.