Ed news round-up

Here's a survey of recent educaiton articles from various media sources. I spend a lot of time scanning education blogs, but this time I've focues on more traditional news sources.

Chron: Teachers, aides set strike vote March 29

The San Francisco teachers' union will hold a strike vote on March 29 and could stage a walkout by mid-April, union leaders said Wednesday.

Chron: The Saturday morning Dante Club

A dozen Mission High students eager for more of the Western classics are studying 'The Divine Comedy' for fun and loving it

Examiner Editorial: Mostly good news for S.F. schools

San Francisco’s public school system received some good news this week when state test scores showed that many city schools are improving and the district as a whole is outperforming the state average. However, that good news was moderated by other, more sobering results revealing that some schools continue to post poor scores and fall at the bottom of the heap even when compared to schools where students share similar economic and cultural backgrounds.

This one is written by our very own Caroline Grannan. !!! Bay Guardian: Volunteering too much

In the combative world of school politics, flak has been flying about veteran San Francisco school board commissioner Jill Wynns's expenses for out-of-town, board-related conferences and events.

Not everyone understands that school board members donate unpaid volunteer time to attend these events. Board members get a flat $500 a month, period. Wynns incurs more travel expenses than other board members because she donates more unpaid time.

SjMerc: State's low school spending yields few college graduates

California sends a lower percentage of its seniors to in-state public four-year universities than any state but Mississippi -- and a report released Wednesday offers an explanation.

Topping the reasons: a shortage of high school counselors, adequately trained teachers and college-prep classes -- largely caused by one of the lowest levels of educational spending in the nation.

SjMerc: Universal preschool plan fuels debate

Proponents of a free, universal preschool system in California believe that early education is key to improving the lives of disadvantaged children and will eventually reduce the state's costs for services such as special education and even incarceration.[...]

But critics say money should be given to the neediest children, who stand to benefit most.

NYT: SAT Problems Even Larger Than Reported

The College Board disclosed yesterday that the problems resulting from the misscoring of its October SAT examination were larger than it had previously reported.

NYT: The Two Faces of A.P.

But at the very time that schools like those in Guilford County, Dallas and Hackensack are jumping on the A.P. bandwagon, many of the elite schools that pioneered A.P. are losing enthusiasm, looking for ways to cut their students loose from curriculums that can cram in too much material at the expense of conceptual understanding and from the pressure to amass as many A.P. grades on their transcripts as possible. A few have abolished A.P. programs altogether, and many have limited students to taking three a year, fearing burnout and bad scores.

NYT: Far, Far and Away

As domestic tuitions rise yearly and the world grows smaller by the minute, going to an English-language college abroad is an increasing option for superior students.