Technical Education

The week of January 22-28 has been declared “National School Choice” week by, well,…National School Choice Week.  NSCW is a coalition of organizations, mostly private schools and charter school operators, whose mission is “..effective education options for every child.”  This mission sounds good, but when it comes to education reform groups words are often misleading.

Baltimore Education Reform Examiner Morna McDermott studied the partners of NSCW and found them to consist largely of profit-driven interests seeking a share of the billions of dollars spent on public education every year.  As she said, “A rose by any other name still spells privatizing education.”  

McDermott noted that many of the organizations associated with NSCW are also associated with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  ALEC is a billionaire-backed group that also includes countless far-right legislators; and authors legislation for them to introduce in states across the country.  With no excep

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Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Abilene Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Frazier, center, and other attendees listen to the State of the City address by Mayor Norm Archibald Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, at the Abilene Civic Center.

Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Mayor Norm Archibald delivers his annual State of the City speech Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, at the Abilene Civic Center.

Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Abilene Independent School District Superintendent Heath Burns delivers the state of the AISD address at the Abilene Civic Center Monday, Jan. 23, 2012.

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Children born in the summer will no longer have an advantage over younger applicants when it comes to securing pre-school education.

Major changes to pre-school places were announced as part of a shake-up of admissions criteria by the Education Minister yesterday.

The biggest adjustment will see the birthday criteria changed and the definition of social disadvantage will also be re-assessed, in a bid to include low-income families.

At the Assembly yesterday, Education Minister John O’Dowd outlined what the new criteria will be to secure a full-time place at a nursery.

“The key change is that I’m going to remove the July-August birthday criteria, which is disadvantaging young children,” he said.

“It has been a demand for some time and recognised in a number of reports.

“I will use the first legislative opportunity to remove that.”

Children born in July or August will no longer get priority for places, and Mr O’Dowd said he would review and broaden the definition of social disadvantage.

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Oxford University’s Professor Andrew Hamilton was the top-earning vice-chancellor but his pay rise was less than 0.5%. Grant Faint/Getty Images

The heads of elite universities were awarded an average pay rise of £9,700 last year, taking their average earnings beyond £333,000, the Guardian can reveal.

Analysis of 13 top university leaders’ pay packets has prompted calls for the prime minister’s clampdown on executive pay to reach beyond banks and big business to include universities as well, although the average rise of 3.9% is below the rate of inflation.

An examination of the universities’ most recent financial statements, from 2010-11, shows the vice-chancellors of Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, Nottingham, Bristol and Southampton were all given a pay rise, despite a squeeze on many university budgets.

Hamilton was closely followed by Birmingham University’s Professor David Eastwood whose earnings reached £419,000, comprised of a £323,000 salary, £29,000 bonus, £16,000 for other expenses and £51,000 for pension contributions.

Sally Hunt, general secretary of the lecturers’ trade union – the University and College Union – argued that the findings meant the government’s crackdown on excessive executive pay should extend to universities.

All three of the main political parties are vying to lead calls for a crackdown on executive pay. In the pas

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It was 8:30 on a crisp sunny morning at Strawberry Point School in Mill Valley and Bain LaPlant was on the playground, barking orders and encouraging the kids.

“One-two-three, eyes-on-me,” LaPlant said to the second- and third-graders gathered for morning physical education. As music played from LaPlant’s iPod, kids jumped rope or danced to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.” One boy asked LaPlant to teach him to skip, while others needed help navigating and swinging the long ropes.

“I have been doing this for 10 years, and I love it,” said LaPlant, who gets the Marin County public school children for 30 minutes a day. “I see these kids every day of their school lives. It is all about fun and movement. We do things like play ‘hopscotch around the world,’ where we do different types of hopscotch played in different places across the globe.”

Another activity that gets the kindergarten through fifth-graders moving is the age-old game of tag – but modified for the season.

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